• Source: Benjamin Bryan

      • Benjamin Bryan (1840 – 26 January 1914) was an English journalist, editor, writer, and activist. He began his journalism career at The Derby Mercury in 1853, later editing newspapers in Blackburn and Canterbury. Bryan was a prominent anti-vivisection and animal welfare activist, leading the National Anti-Vivisection Society and National Canine Defence League.


      Biography




      = Early life and education

      =
      Bryan was born in Matlock Bath in 1840, the eldest son of Benjamin Bryan Sr. and his second wife, Henrietta (née Butler). His father nicknamed him "Penny Post" due to his birth coinciding with the introduction of the penny postal rate. Bryan began his education at Mrs. Potter's Dame School on the Dimple, before attending Bonsall Endowed School. He later studied at Matlock Green Academy under the guidance of William Corden Clarke and his brother Edward.


      = Journalism career

      =
      In 1853, Bryan joined The Derby Mercury, but in 1854 he started a seven-year apprenticeship with Thomas Newbold. During this period, he mastered shorthand and credited his time working in regional journalism as providing a better education than university could have offered. By 1860, Bryan was working as a reporter for the Chronicle in Torquay. He later worked for newspapers in Bideford and spent two years with the Essex Times. In 1864, he returned to The Derby Mercury and later moved to Blackburn to edit The Patriot and The Standard. His career also took him to Canterbury, where he edited The Kentish Gazette, before returning to Blackburn for a short period.


      = Activism

      =
      Bryan was a member of the anti-vivisection movement, collaborating closely with fellow campaigner Frances Power Cobbe; they authored a book together about vivisection in the United States. From 1883, Bryan was the secretary for the National Anti-Vivisection Society (founded by Cobbe in 1875) and edited its periodical, The Zoophilist. He resigned in 1898 and was succeeded by Robert Stewart. In 1899, Bryan served as a representative of the New York State Anti-Vivisection Society at the 1900 Paris Exposition. By 1908, he was serving as secretary of the National Canine Defence League and, by the following year, had become its Chairman and Honorary Treasurer.
      For 15 years after leaving Canterbury, Bryan edited periodicals of the RSPCA and also lectured for them.


      = Other activities

      =
      In 1903, Bryan published Matlock, Manor and Parish. The work, a detailed account of his birthplace, reportedly took over a decade to research and write. He also contributed articles on archaeology and local history to the Derbyshire Archaeological Journal.
      Bryan was an accomplished public speaker and active in politics, supporting the Conservative Party in several general elections.


      = Personal life and death

      =
      Bryan married Annie Boden in 1866. Following his wife’s death, he returned to Derbyshire and lived out his final years in Belper. He died there on 26 January 1914, at the age of 74. His funeral took place in Matlock on 29 January.


      Selected publications


      The Vivisectors' Directory (1884; editor; introduction by Frances Power Cobbe)
      Vivisection in America (1889; with Frances Power Cobbe)
      Anti-Vivisection Evidences (1895; editor; revised and enlarged)
      Matlock, Manor and Parish (1903)


      References

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