Edward Bond (1844-1920)

Edward Bond was born in London in 1844, eldest son of Edward Bond, a prosperous upholsterer, and his wife Sarah Pollard.  He was educated at Merchant Taylors’ School and then St. John’s College, Oxford where he gained a double first in Classics.  He obtained a fellowship at Queen’s which he held until 1891.  He was called to the Bar in 1871.  In 1895 Bond entered Parliament as the Conservative MP for East Nottingham, a seat he retained until the general election of 1906. During those same years Bond also represented Hampstead (where he had his home) on London County Council.  He died in 1920 in York. 

Bond was a friend of Octavia Hill and Beatrice Webb and was active in the field of social housing.   He was one of the founders of the philanthropic East End Dwellings Company and served as its chairman for many years.  He also had an interest in education, serving on the London School Board and on the board of governors of several schools.  In his private life, Bond never married but was well known as a collector of books and pictures.