Description:This is an abridged version of his biography, the full version being available as a download on this page.
Mr C H Glassey, F.N.S., the indefatigable Secretary of the Handsworth Division Conservative Association, was born on August, 5th, 1856. (In 1900 he was living at 113 Murdock Road in Handsworth)
The subject of our sketch was intended for the scholastic profession. A course of instruction at a private seminary was followed by a few years at King Edward’s Grammar School, New Street, and he was afterwards articled pupil teacher at the Bristol Road Wesleyan Schools. He there served a creditable apprenticeship and might today have been an ornament to the educational calling, had not a family bereavement necessitated his entering into business.
Now business was not Mr Glassey’s forte. A more unfortunate choice could hardly have been made. He lacked a commercial training; he was anything but commercially minded. Already the fascination of the political arena overwhelmed his youthful imagination and his highest aspiration was to speak from a Tory platform. Behind the counter he was as much out of his natural element as is a fish on dry land. Mr Glassey the man of business was not a success and he looks regretfully back upon this period of his life as time thrown away.
In 1878 the Birmingham Tory Party, wishing to test its strength, in view of the contemplated general election of 1880, decided to contest ten wards in which vacancies occurred for the Town Council. The retiring members of the Council were all Liberals. Nine candidates had been selected for nine of the wards when a difficulty occurred. The fates seemed against the adoption of a tenth candidate. Conservatives fought shy in those days of Duddeston Ward, which was pronouncedly Liberal. For six years prior to the election in question Duddeston had been represented among the Town Fathers by Dr E T Griffiths, J.P. To prevent a deadlock, Mr Glassey, though only in the 21st year of his age consented at the invitation of the Ward Association to step into the breach. He did not expect to win; being under the age he could not have held the seat he had wrested away from the worthy medico. But he did expect to poll fairly well, if hard work could do anything to ensure it. He did not spare himself. For three consecutive weeks he held as many as three and even four meetings nightly and created such a sensation in the ward that though, like his nine Conservative colleagues, he was defeated, he yet had the honour of polling more votes than any other unsuccessful candidate. His opponent’s majority was 113. A shoal of congratulations poured in from members of his party and Mr Glassey was specially complimented on the plucky fight he had made, by the party leader - the late Mr J H Hopkins.
During the mayoralty of Alderman Cook political feeling ran very high in Birmingham and many skirmishes took place between the two great political parties. Mr Glassey’s name was already familiar to the public and it was destined to become much more so by his action in connection with Sunday lectures. Services were being conducted in the Town Hall by the Rev. Arthur Mursell, whilst other well known Liberals were lecturing in Board Schools. Mr Glassey attended the meetings and considered the tincture of the party politics introduced much too strong. Seeking a remedy for the evil he interviewed the Mayor and corresponded with the late Mr George Dixon, M.P., who was at the time Chairman of the Birmingham School Board. Failing in his complaints to these gentlemen he organised a party, forty to fifty strong, to enter a formal protest to the lecturers themselves, in the event of a distinctly party element being introduced. It came to Mr Glassey’s ears that Mr Mursell was announced to conduct a lesson after services to working men in the Town Hall and as the advertised subject of the address “Be Early at the Poll” suggested all kinds of possibilities Mr Glassey and his party attended the service. They obtained seats on the platform behind Alderman (then Councillor) E J Bowkett and the lecturer. References to Lord Beaconsfield, Lord Randolph Churchhill and Colonel Burnaby displeased Mr Glassey and his friends and the lecturer apparently unable to abstain from any political reference they kept up a running fire of dissent, which proved so disconcerting that the meeting was eventually closed amid a scene of wild confusion. This was the last of the series of Mr Mursell’s Sunday afternoon addresses in the Town Hall and the whole tone of Board School Sunday lectures in so far as political topics were concerned, became much modified.
Mr Glassey is full of reminiscences hardly less exciting. On one occasion, he tells us, he attended a town’s meeting directed against the House of Lords and from the great gallery witnessed a scene of disorder almost without parallel in the stormy history of Birmingham politics. The speakers were compelled to address their observations to the reporters and amid much tumult the Mayor was constrained to cause a large board to be held up bearing the legend “Vote for the Resolution” and subsequently “Vote against the Resolution”. He then declared the resolution carried and dissolved the meeting. To add to the humour of the situation Mr Glassey immediately wired to six of the leading men of each party in the House of Commons - “Town meeting broken up in disorder. Impossible to definitely declare how the vote was - GLASSEY.” The receipt of this telegram was acknowledged by Lord Salisbury, Mr Gladstone, Lord Randolph Churchill, Sir Stafford Northcote and Mr Bright. Mr Glassey anticipated the official communication by the Mayor and it is hardly necessary to say was castigated the following day by the Liberal press.
Shortly before the election of 1885, when Lord Randolph Churchill opposed Mr John Bright in Central Birmingham, the late member for Northampton, Mr Charles Bradlaugh, gave a lecture in the hardware city on “The Great Duke of Marlborough”. In the opinion of Mr Glassey the lecture was designed to injure the prospects of Lord Randolph and he therefore requested and obtained permission of the great leader of the Secularist party to ask three questions at the close. The questions he propounded were these: (1) Is it fair to paint in such lurid colours the vices and defects of the Duke of Marlborough’s private life without giving him his due for great services to the State. (2) What was the exact relation between the public position of Lord Churchill and the career of a notorious ancestor? (3) Would the member for Northampton give as searching an analysis of his own life and of the effects of the teaching to which he and Mrs Annie Besant were committed?
Bradlaugh rore to reply but the audience were not disposed to let the audacious questioner down easily. “Charlie’s” masterly oratory - always effective - had aroused the enthusiasm of the vast audience to a high pitch and indignant exclamations were heard on all hands, not a few crying “Lynch him” meaning of course, the subject of our sketch. It was the last question that couldn’t be swallowed! Discretion is proverbially the better part of valour and Mr Glassey may be pardoned for making instant tracks for the friendly shelter of a neighbouring club
Mr Glassey has acted in a more or less responsible capacity in numerous Parliamentary and municipal elections since 1880.
In September 1893, upon the resignation of Mr W P Dix, he was appointed secretary and registration agent to the Handsworth Division Conservative Association. In November of the same year he qualified as an associate of the National Society of Conservative Agents and in February 1897 was awarded an additional certificate of service. He is now a fellowship member of the above society and is entitled to affix his name the mystic letters F.N.S.