John Exshaw

John Exshaw (* 1751 - 6 January 1827 ) was a Dublin bookseller and two-time Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Life

John Exshaw was born in 1751 as the second son of John Exshaw († 1776) and his first wife Faith Walker († 1764). His family had been in the book trade since 1732. The foundation stone for this was laid by his uncle Edward Exshaw († 1748) and his brother, John Exshaw's father. After the death of his father, John Exshaw took over the business and ran it until 1822. His family's bookselling activities came to an end with his retirement.

Political career

Politically, Exshaw was mainly active in local Dublin politics. He was a respected member of the Guild of St Luke the Evangelist , the guild of cutlers, beers and stationers founded in 1670 , which also represented the booksellers.

He was sheriff from 1779 to 1780 . From 1782 he acted as alderman and in October of the same year he was elected to serve as his guild. In 1784 he was elected coroner of the city. From 1786 to 1788 Exshaw was divisional justice of police . Later, following the enactment of the Dublin Police Magistrates Act of 1808, he held the post again and remained magistrate until his death in 1827. The police gazette Hue and Cry was published by him.

On May 8, 1789, Exshaw was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin . He took office on October 16, 1789 and held it for a term until October 1790. Also in 1790 he tried unsuccessfully for a seat in parliament. On February 24, 1800, he was re-elected mayor. The current incumbent, John Sutton, passed away unexpectedly, and Exshaw was now completing the remainder of his term in office until October 1800.

Family and death

In May 1776 he married Angel Wilkinson. His wife died in October 1787 at the age of 32. Exshaw was married twice more in his later life. His second marriage had at least two children. The third marriage in 1805 resulted in a son in March 1806. His third wife died in June of the same year.

He died in Roebuck in January 1827 at the age of 76 and was buried in St John's Cemetery in Clondalkin . Here he found the final resting place next to his first wife and their two daughters.

Web links

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