William Willis Wood JP (10 July 1832 – 2 October 1905) was an owner of Junction Mills, Laisterdyke, a Wesleyan Methodist preacher and was Mayor of Bradford, Yorkshire, from 1894 to 1896.
Background and civic life William Willis WoodJames, Parker, Illustrated, rambles, from, Hipperholme, to, Tong, p. 369H. Hird, How a city grows: historical notes on the city of Bradford, Bradford (England: Unitary authority), pp. 20–21, 1966Post Office Bradford directory 1887-1888, pp. 15, 386, 485 was born in Bradford in 1832. He attended Bradford Moor Sunday and Day School to the age of 11 when he started work in a local factory. He undertook further studies at the Bradford Mechanics' Institute. He continued to champion access to education throughout his life, supporting the Old Bradford Sunday School and serving as a secretary of the Mechanics institute. He became a co-owner of Junction Mills (worsted spinner) at Laisterdyke.The Leeds Mercury, 18 June 1870, p. 8 Wood was elected councillor for Bradford Moor Ward in 1877 and served until November 1883. In 1883 he was elected alderman and served until November 1907. In November 1894, he was elected Mayor of Bradford and served until November 1896. Wood represented Bradford City Council on the Board of Bradford Grammar School. He resided at Greenhill House on Leeds Road in Bradford in what is now Saint Peter's Presbytery.image of St. Peter's Presbytery, Leeds Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, UKimage of St. Peter's Presbytery (rear), Leeds Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, UK He died in 1905 and is buried in Bowling Cemetery in Bradford.images of William Willis Wood gravesite, Bowling Cemetery, Bradford, England Wood Was succeeded in office by Thomas Speight (1844–1921), who was Mayor of Bradford from 1896 to 1898.
Personal life Notably, his eldest son, Arthur Wood (1861–1905) married Thomas Speight's daughter, Annie, in 1889. Their only son, Stanley Speight Wood (1889–1918), served in the Royal Army Service Corps and died in Baghdad, Mesopotamia, in the First World War.Imperial War Museum: "Lives of the first World War: Stanley Speight WoodUK, De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour, 1914–1919 Volume 4, p. 243: Stanley Speight Wood Obituary References