Template:Wp-James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton

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James Williamson, 1st Baron Ashton, (31 December 1842 – 27 May 1930) was a British businessman, philanthropist and Liberal Party politician. His family's business in Lancaster produced oilcloth and linoleum, which was exported around the world. After serving as a Member of Parliament for Lancaster, he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Ashton in 1895. Unproven accusations that he had purchased his title, however, haunted him and led to his eventual withdrawal from public life.