William Wayland

Who was William Wayland?

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Abraham Edward Wayland was an English politician and farmer.

Wayland was educated at Marlowes College. He served as Mayor of Deptford from 1914 to 1920, for which he was knighted in the 1920 New Year Honours. In 1927 he was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Canterbury at a by-election, holding the seat until he retired in 1945 because of a wish expressed by party leaders that no candidate should be aged over 70.

In 1931 the Conservative whip was withdrawn from him when he supported Sir Ernest Petter, standing as an Independent Conservative against the official Conservative candidate, in the Westminster St George's by-election, but it was restored before the general election later that year.

Wayland served as chairman of the Empire Day Movement from 1927 to 1948.