Edward Baines

A journalist and Liberal MP for Leeds, Edward Baines Junior was editor of the influential Leeds Mercury and a passionate advocate for education and reform. Though initially opposed to state-sponsored education, he later supported compulsory schooling, recognising its necessity for working-class advancement. His commitment to learning culminated in his role in founding the Yorkshire College of Science, an institution that would evolve into the University of Leeds. However, he did not fully support factory reform and argued that children should remain part of the industrial workforce. This portrait bust is likely to have been the first to enter the collection, having been presented by his daughter in 1892. It was prominently displayed inside the original library, close to the Baines Wing that memorialises his contribution to the University.