october september solicitor reforming briefly member parliament campaigned corruption jury selection reform abolition capital punishment universal suffrage pearson influence promote improvements transport communications initially proposed central railway station city accessed tunnel multiple railway companies enabling workers city away plan rejected pearson promoted underground railway connecting capital northern termini resulting metropolitan railway underground railway world led development extensive london underground network rapid expansion capital early life pearson born october son feather merchant wife sarah education father instead studied law qualified solicitor released married couple child born city career campaigning pearson elected ward served role served chairman city board health gave extensive private practice appointed holding office death despite comfortable upbringing high social status pearson radical life fought number campaigns progressive reforming issues including removal monument inscription blaming great fire london catholics abolition packed special jury lists political trials ban jews city pearson favour church_of_england opposed capital punishment politically supported universal suffrage electoral reform balance sizes parliamentary unsuccessfully attempted break local developed gas companies calling distribution owned collectively consumers pearson liberal elected general election member parliament campaign prompted desire promote reform campaign parliament resigned seat thorough mechanism accepting hundreds campaigning underground railway recognising increasing congestion city rapidly growing suburbs pearson published pamphlet calling construction underground railway fleet valley proposed railway atmospheric railway trains pushed tunnels compressed air proposal ridiculed came certainly failed built shortcomings technology proposed pearson continued lobby variety railway schemes 1840s 1850s pearson proposed support central railway station london located estimated cost million approximately million today station shared multiple railway companies approached north covered cutting feet wide pearson aim promoting plan facilitate improvement social conditions city workers enabling london cheap trains new residential developments good quality cheap homes built outside capital metropolitan railway termini rejected proposal preferring define limit centre capital new railway lines extended set examine number new proposals railways london pearson proposal railway connecting london termini presented evidence survey traffic coming london demonstrated high level congestion caused huge number filling roads pearson commentary city caused natural increase population area surrounding district secondly influx provincial passengers great railways experienced streets coming distant stations bring provincial travellers heart city point vast increase term migratory population population city country city leave afternoon return morning proposed schemes rejected commission recommend railway constructed linking termini docks martin grand private bill received august director significant new company pearson continued promote project years use influence help company raise million capital needed construction line issued pamphlet minutes letter citizens london favour metropolitan railway encouraging investment persuaded invest basis railway alleviate city congestion problems railway operation city sold shares profit funds collected final route decided work railway started taking years worst victorian london busiest streets pearson died september home live opening metropolitan railway january pearson refused offer reward grateful railway company shortly railway opening widow granted year buried september legacy transport writer considers pearson far best claim propose idea underground railway deal london congestion problem considers pearson constant advocacy conduct managed combine holding high office metropolitan railway kind world nucleus london underground system come existence opened metropolitan railway significant impact street traffic particularly quickly recovered near levels despite metropolitan railway carrying million passengers year operation metropolitan railway network underground lines grew world idea adopted glasgow subway opened pearson promotion idea underground railway possible transport developments end 19th century developments electric vehicles powered internal engines meant underground solution ignored expansion capital underground network suburban surface extensions enabled considerable rapid helped population increase
Charles Pearson