Tributes have been paid to a former Sheriff of York, transport expert and leading Green Party activist following his death.
Jonathan Tyler, who ran for Parliament, chaired the forerunner of the Greens nationally and served as Sheriff of York in 2016-2017, passed away on Sunday, 1 March aged 85.
Dave Taylor, who served as Lord Mayor when Mr Tyler was sheriff, said he was a lovely man who was supremely intelligent and had a wicked sense of humour.
Denise Craghill, vice chair of the York Greens, said his enthusiasm, persistence and belief that change for the good is possible was infectious and inspiring.
The former Sheriff of York was born in Reading on June 8 1940.
He joined British Rail as a traffic apprentice in 1962 and was later sponsored to become a university lecturer.
Mr Tyler was a transport lecturer at the University of Birmingham when he stood as the Ecology Party’s first ever parliamentary candidate in the Walsall North by-election 1976.
He went on to chair the national party until 1979, six years before it was renamed the Green Party in 1985.
The Greens stood Mr Tyler as their candidate in York Council elections and he ran for the York Central parliamentary constituency in 2015, winning 10 per cent of the vote.
He also chaired the York Environment Forum for several years until 2010.
My Tyler ran the York-based Passenger Transport Network consultancy from 2000.
In 2024 he produced proposals for a ‘Swiss-style’ public transit network for the region which called for different modes of transport to be integrated, better timetabling and simpler fares.
Mr Tyler celebrated Green Hannah Spencer’s victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election days before his death.
He is survived by his wife Brenda and two children and his funeral is set to take place on Tuesday, March 24.
Mr Tyler and his wife were both lifelong Quakers.
Former Green Lord Mayor Mr Taylor said it was an honour to serve with Mr Tyler during their civic year.
Mr Taylor said: “He was a lovely fellow as everyone knows, supremely intelligent, and also had a rather wicked sense of humour.”
York Green Party Vice Chair Ms Craghill said he would be very much missed.
The vice chair said: “I have known Jonathan for most of the past 25 years.
“His enthusiasm, persistence and belief that change for the good is possible were very infectious and inspiring.
“I have always felt very proud that one of the earliest founding members of the Green Party lived here in York.
“Jonathan was the Party’s first ever by-election candidate in 1976 and I’m told he was aware of and delighted by the party’s recent historic by-election win in Greater Manchester last week, just days before his death in York Hospital.”
