George Masterman Gillett

Who was George Masterman Gillett?

Sir George Masterman Gillett was a British banker and politician.

Born in Islington, he was the son of George Gillett, a banker and member of a well-known Quaker family. He was educated at a Society of Friends boarding school in Scarborough, Yorkshire and in Paris. In 1894 he became a partner the family business of Gillett Brothers, discount bankers of Lombard Street in the City of London.

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. He was subsequently elected to the London County Council in 1910, representing East Finsbury as a member of the majority Progressive Party until 1922, and as an alderman from 1922 to 1925.