Background
Rathbone was the eldest son of William Rathbone of Greenbank, Liverpool, and his wife Elizabeth Greg daughter of Samuel Greg of Quarry Bank, Cheshire.
Rathbone was the eldest son of William Rathbone of Greenbank, Liverpool, and his wife Elizabeth Greg daughter of Samuel Greg of Quarry Bank, Cheshire.
He was an English Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1868 and 1895. Rathbone spent some time with various companies in Liverpool and London and in 1842 became a partner in the family company Rathbone Brothers and Company, general merchants of Liverpool. He remained a partner until 1885.
He was a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace for Lancashire.
When Rathbone"s first wife Lucretia was dying in 1859, the care given by a nurse, prompted him to campaign for a system of district nursing to enable the poor to benefit from similar care. In 1862, the Liverpool Training School and Home for Nurses was established, from which basis a district nursing system was implemented in Liverpool through the 1860s and spread throughout the country.
His involvement with this scheme also made him aware of the poor state of the workhouse hospitals, and he did much to assist in the reform of nursing in workhouses. Rathbone was also instrumental in establishing Queen Victoria"s Jubilee Institute for Nurses in 1887, which later became The Queen"s Nursing Institute.
The Institute was founded using money donated by the women of England for Queen Victoria"s Golden Jubilee.
Its mission was to organise the training and supply of district nurses throughout the British Isles, with the help of regional bodies. District nurses trained under its auspices were given the title Queen"s Nurse. In 1881 he was elected Member of Parliament for Carnarvonshire and held the seat until 1885.
He was then elected Member of Parliament for Arfon and held the seat until 1895.
He also played an important part in the establishment of the University College of North Wales in 1884, and served as president from 1891. He was made Freeman of the City of Liverpool on 21 October 1891.
Rathbone died on 6 March 1902 at his home, Greenbank House in Liverpool.
20th United Kingdom Parliament. 21st United Kingdom Parliament. 22nd United Kingdom Parliament.
23rd United Kingdom Parliament.
24th United Kingdom Parliament. 25th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was a member of the noted Rathbone family.
Members of the Rathbone family have served as trustees of the charity continuously ever since. Rathbone was elected as Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Liverpool in 1868, and sat for the city until 1880.