John Robert Featherby

John Robert Featherby
Born1848 (1848)
DiedJuly 1922(1922-07-00) (aged 73–74)
Bleak House, Gillingham, Kent, England
OccupationsBrick manufacturer, businessman, civic leader
Employer(s)G. Featherby & Co.
Known forFirst Mayor of Gillingham; development of local brickmaking industry
TitleMayor of Gillingham
PredecessorOffice established
Spouse
Anna Louisa Frost
(m. 1872; div. 1911)
Children4 (including Charles Benjamin Featherby; Harry George Featherby)
Parent(s)George Featherby (father)
Amelia Ann Bullbrook (mother)
AwardsFreedom of the Borough of Gillingham (1921)

John Robert Featherby was an English brick manufacturer, businessman, and civic leader who played a central role in the late-Victorian and Edwardian development of Gillingham, Kent. A partner in the family firm G. Featherby & Co., he helped supply bricks and cement for the town’s rapid expansion during the growth of Chatham Dockyard, while also serving as a director of local utilities and related industries.

Active in public life, he was chairman of Gillingham Urban District Council and, following the grant of a royal charter in 1903, became the first Mayor of Gillingham Borough Council, later receiving the Freedom of the Borough for his long service.