Frederick Bull (Lord Mayor of London)

Frederick Bull (c. 1714–1784) was Lord Mayor of London and a radical politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1773 to 1784.

File:Frederick Bull. Mezzotint by J. Watson, 1781, after S. Webst Wellcome V0000894.jpg

Early life and business

Bull was the second son of John Bull of London, and his wife Hannah. He married Judith Dickinson of Ware on 26 August 1737. From about 1744 he was a tea merchant in Leadenhall Street. He succeeded to property at Little Paxton, Huntingdonshire from his mother in 1746. He went into partnership with Samuel Moody in around 1757.{{cite web| url = http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/bull-frederick-1714-84 | title = BULL, Frederick (c.1714-84), of Leadenhall St., London

| publisher= History of Parliament Online| accessdate = 29 October 2017}}

Public and political career

Bull was Sheriff of London in 1771–2 and became an alderman in 1772. He became Lord Mayor of London for 1773–74.

Bull stood for the City of London at a by-election in 1773 and was returned after a hard-fought contest on 23 December 1773. He was returned for the City after a contest again in 1774 and 1780.

Bull was a Dissenter and close supporter of John Wilkes. He followed the Bill of Rights Society programme throughout his parliamentary career. His politics were radical and anti-Popery and in the spring of 1780 he supported Lord George Gordon’s Protestant crusade which led to the riots in June.