George Gillett

Sir George Masterman Gillett (1870 – 10 August 1939) was a British banker and politician.

Life Born in Islington, he was the son of George Gillett, a banker and member of a well-known Quaker family.

Gillett was very active in charitable and social work in London, and in 1898 founded the Peel Institute, to "advance the mental, physical, religious, moral and social education of persons and the promotion of facilities for the recreation or other leisure time occupation of those who by reason of age, youth, infirmity, disablement, poverty or social and economic circumstances are in need of such facilities, with the object of improving their conditions of life".

When the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury was created in 1900, Gillett was elected to the first borough council, serving for six years.

At the 1922 general election Gillett was nominated as the Labour Party's candidate to contest the Finsbury constituency. Although unsuccessful on this occasion, in the following year another general election was held and he became Finsbury's member of parliament. He was defeated by his Labour Party opponent, the Reverend George Saville Woods at the 1935 general election. Gillett retired from the post in May 1939 due to ill health. He died in August of the same year at his home in Letchworth, Hertfordshire.

Family Gillett married in 1898 Edith Mary Dixon, daughter of John Dixon MD.