William Furniss Potter
William Furniss Potter (1843-1907)
1907 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM FURNISS POTTER, born in Leeds on the 30th March, 1843, was educated at the Leeds Grammar School, under Dr. Barry, and served a pupilage of 4 years to the late Mr. John Fraser, of Leeds, subsequently acting as his assistant for a short time.
Between 1865 and 1868 he was employed on the West Cheshire lines under the late Mr. J. S. Wilkinson.
Mr. Potter then obtained an appointment on the engineering staff of the Madras Railway, and proceeding to India in 1869, he was engaged at first on the construction of 10 miles of the North West line : then on the maintenance of the second division of the North West line, and lastly, in charge of the first division of the South West line, 132 miles in length. He then went to Japan, and for 3 years, from 1874 to 1877, he was in the service of the Imperial Government Railways as Resident Engineer in charge of the surveys, plans, sections and estimates of 52 miles of new line, and of the construction of another section, as well as of the maintenance of open line.
Returning to England in 1877, Mr. Potter engaged in private practice in Westminster until 1879, when he retired from professional pursuits.
In 1879 he married Kate, daughter of Mr. W. Woods Mitchell, of Arundel, Sussex.
He died at his residence, Arundel Lodge, Ilkley, on the 2nd May, 1907, aged 64.
Mr. Potter was elected a Member of The Institution on the 4th December, 1877, and in the following year he communicated a Paper entitled, "Railway Work in Japan," which was read and discussed at a meeting.