Other Activities
In 1844 Peto bought Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk. He re-built the hall with contemporary amenities, as well as constructing a school and more houses in the village. He next built similar projects in Lowestoft, also in Suffolk. For many years he was the largest employer of labour in the entire world.
In 1846 Peto became co-treasurer of the Baptist Missionary Society. From 1855 to March 1867, he was sole treasurer, resigning after personal financial difficulties.
Peto served for two decades as a Member of Parliament (MP). He was elected a Liberal Member for Norwich in 1847 to 1854, for Finsbury from 1859 to 1865, and for Bristol from 1865 to 1868. During this time he was one of the most prominent figures in public life. He helped to make a guarantee towards the financing of the Great Exhibition of 1851, backing Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace.
Peto suffered in the financial crisis of 1866, and had to declare bankruptcy. In 1868 he had to give up his seat in Parliament, despite having the support of both Benjamin Disraeli and William Ewart Gladstone. He exiled himself to Budapest and tried to promote railways in Russia and Hungary.
When he returned, he tried to launch a small mineral railway in Cornwall. This failed.
Peto died in obscurity in 1889.
Read more about this topic: Samuel Morton Peto
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