| Albert Broadbent | |
| Birth Date: | 17 February 1867 |
| Birth Place: | Hollingworth, England |
| Death Place: | Longsight, Manchester, England |
| Resting Place: | Southern Cemetery, Manchester |
| Occupation: | Activist, writer, lecturer, restaurateur |
| Years Active: | 1895–1912 |
| Children: | 1 |
| Signature: | Albert Broadbent signature.svg |
Albert Broadbent (17 February 1867 – 21 January 1912) was an English activist for vegetarianism, writer, lecturer, and restaurateur. Broadbent served as Secretary of the Vegetarian Society and edited The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review, promoting vegetarianism internationally. His work included extensive lecturing, producing publications advocating for a vegetarian diet, and the establishment of vegetarian restaurants aimed at improving women's social standing and providing affordable meals to poor people. Broadbent died in 1912 following the failure of his restaurants, which led to him suffering a significant financial loss and experiencing a nervous breakdown.
Albert Broadbent was born in Hollingworth, on 17 February 1867. He later married Christina Harrison on 5 January 1892;[1] they had one daughter.[2]
Broadbent originally intended to pursue a commercial career, before becoming Secretary of the Vegetarian Society in 1895. He was also the editor of the society's journal The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review. Broadbent represented the society at International Congresses at Paris, Dresden, St. Louis and London.[3] Broadbent was an active member of the Vegetarian Federal Union and attended all their meetings from 1893.[4]
Broadbent lectured extensively on vegetarianism and dietetics. He was a Fellow of the Statistical Society and the Royal Horticultural Society.
Broadbent's book Science in the Daily Meal, argued that a vegetarian diet is capable of providing the body its highest state of physical development; Broadbent listed one hundred recipes free of uric acid.[5] The book promoted the consumption of plasmon but this food was controversial as not all vegetarians advocated its use. In 1903, J. P. Sandlands wrote a rebuttal to Broadbent's book entitled Science in the Daily Meal Criticised, or Plasmon Confounded.[6] Broadbent published an abridged edition of Howard Williams' book The Ethics of Diet, in 1907.[7]
Broadbent started vegetarian restaurants in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Leicester, with the intention of bettering the social position of women, by providing them the opportunity to earn a living wage. The meals were also provided at a low price, so that poorer people would be able to access vegetarian meals; this enterprise ended in failure and, as result, Broadbent suffered a significant financial loss.
After experiencing a complete nervous breakdown,[8] Broadbent died on 21 January 1912 at his home in Longsight, Manchester; he was buried in the Southern Cemetery.[9]