Henry Egerton Cotton 1929 - 1993

  • A black and white photograph of the Henry Cotton statue being made in a workshop, Henry’s wife is stood to the right of it with her hand resting on the knee of the statue
  • A photograph of the outside of the Henry Cotton Building with the statue of Henry in the foreground
  • A painted portrait of Henry dressed in a cap and gown

Henry Cotton was the university's first Chancellor, a role which deepened his already strong association with the institution; he had previously served as a governor at the polytechnic.

A well-known figure in Liverpool, he had forged a successful career in retail, with Owen Owen (latterly T. J. Hughes) and was deeply embedded in civic life. He was High Sheriff of Merseyside in 1986 and later served as Lord Lieutenant from 1989 until his untimely death in 1993. He was also a long serving Justice of the Peace.

Active on the theatre scene, Cotton had a long and close relationship with Liverpool Playhouse (he was an active participant in amateur dramatics) where he served first as a board member, eventually becoming Chairman and ultimately, President. He was also very involved with Liverpool Cathedral.

On his death, the Henry Cotton Trust was formed by his many theatrical friends to provide financial support for promising new actors. Before the Trust closed, the last person to benefit from it was an LJMU student.

We renamed our Trueman Street building in honour of our first Chancellor in 2009, and a statue of Henry Cotton by sculptor and LJMU Honorary Fellow Tom Murphy is situated just outside its entrance.