Thomas Sowler

Sir Thomas Sowler (7 July 1818 – 4 April 1891) was an English newspaper proprietor in Manchester.

Early life Thomas Sowler was born in Manchester to Thomas and Helen Sowler, one of three sons and three daughters. He bore the same name as his father, who in common with his grandfather, had been a printer. The family claimed descent from a Baron Sowler of Normandy and carried on their business initially at Hunt's Bank and later in St Ann's Square, both in Manchester.

Thomas Sowler senior established the Manchester Courier newspaper in 1825 and upon his death the business was passed to Thomas junior, who had been educated at Manchester Grammar School, and another son, John.

Career The brothers sold the book-selling part of their father's business and in 1864 converted the newspaper from a weekly to a daily publication, eventually expanding it from the then common four-page format to one that had twelve or more pages. John died in 1871, leaving Thomas as the sole proprietor of the Conservative Party-supporting organ. In 1874, Sowler established the Manchester Evening Mail and in 1889 he was appointed as the first president of the restructured National Association of Journalists.

Sowler was a director of the Manchester Royal Exchange and on the board of several other businesses, as well as being involved with other institutions Being elected to membership of the Society on 26 January 1859. He was also on the board of the Manchester Natural History Society. He was also a co-founder of the Manchester Free Library and the first secretary of the Manchester branch of the Church Defence Association.

Politics In the 1886 general election, Sowler stood as a Conservative Party candidate in the Manchester South constituency, where he lost by around 350 votes to Sir Henry Roscoe. He was a Justice of the Peace and chairman of both the Manchester Conservative Association and the Conservative Club around the time of his being appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1890 New Year Honours. He died there on 4 April 1891 and was buried at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon. He had married on 25 July 1866 and had several children. His wife, Emily, was the daughter of James Yates, a bleacher.