George Hudson George Hudson George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King" – a title conferred on him by Sydney Smith in 1844. Hudson played a significant role in linking London to Edinburgh by rail, carrying out the first major merging of railway companies (the Midland Railway), developing his hometown of York into a major railway junction, and represented Sunderland in the House of Commons. Hudson's success was built on dubious financial practices
George Wilbraham George Wilbraham George Wilbraham (8 March 1779 – 24 January 1852) of Delamere, Cheshire was an English Whig MP. He was the eldest surviving son of George Wilbraham, MP of Delamere Lodge (but previously of Nantwich, Cheshire) and educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He succeeded his father to Delamere Lodge in 1813. He was elected MP for Stockbridge in 1826, for Cheshire in 1831 and for the newly created Cheshire South in 1832. He was appointed High Sheriff of Cheshire for 1844-45. Wilbraham was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1821. He died in 1852.