ABSTRACT
This chapter begins apparently contrasting careers of the two local leaders which can be reconciled with an emphasis on adaptation rather than decline. Contrasts between the civic careers of two Lord Provosts of Glasgow epitomise the apparent 'decline' in British urban governance since the middle of the nineteenth century. Sir James Lumsden, born in 1808, was the son of a well-to-do Glasgow wholesale stationer, who was one of the early Lord Provosts of the reformed city and the first chairman of the Clydesdale Bank. The concept of 'decline' has also attracted historians and contemporary social scientists who have studied urban governance. Many historians, noting the significant numbers of top businessmen and professionals who served as councillors in the decade or two following the Municipal Reform Act have called attention to a falling off from about the 1870s of social rank and — it would seem — of ability and achievement.
