Sir Francis Evans, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Henry Evans, 1st Baronet, KCMG (29 August 1840 – 22 January 1907) was a British civil engineer
, businessman and Liberal Party
politician.
Grange in Lancashire
the son of William Evans of Manchester
and his wife Mary, née Nicholson. His sister Emily Evans was married to the Industrialist and Politician Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
, and his nephew was the Secretary of State for War (1912-1914) J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
.
He was educated at the Moravian School in Neuwied
in the Rhineland-Palatinate
on the banks of the River Rhine and then at Manchester New College, London
. In 1872, he married the widow of Irving Van Wart, Marie de Grasse, the daughter of the Hon Samuel Stevens of Albany, New York
, who was described in The Times
as sometime New York State Attorney General
. They had three sons and two daughters.
with whom he worked on a number of projects including the construction of the London and North Western Railway
system. Under Brunlees’ direction, Evans worked on the construction of a railway in Brazil
. He then went to America with his father during the time of the Civil War
and travelled extensively, including taking part in scouting expeditions in Texas
.
rising to become Chairman and Managing Director. In 1900, the company merged with the Castle Line and Evans joined the firm of Donald Corrie & Co, the managers of the Union Castle Line and remained a partner until he died.
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
. It was probably Evans’ knowledge of railway construction that led to his involvement in Newfoundland affairs. In 1881, a syndicate known as the Newfoundland Railway Company, under the direction of A. L. Blackman of New York, obtained government support to build a railway from St. John's to Hall's Bay at the western end of Notre Dame Bay. Melville, Evans and Company arranged much of the financing needed before work could begin. When the Newfoundland Railway Company declared bankruptcy in 1884, Melville, Evans and Company were appointed receivers of the company on behalf of the bondholders, and also as operators of the railway, which they did for 12 years, until the government purchased the railway in 1896. A document dated 1892 lists Evans as Receiver and Manager of the Southern Division of the Newfoundland Railway.
Further involvement in Newfoundland affairs, perhaps because of his knowledge of Newfoundland and his experience with the railway deal, resulted with Evans's to a commission representing the interests of the Newfoundland government in their fisheries dispute with France in the late 1880s and early 1890s. It is claimed that Evans's work on this commission contributed greatly towards his knighthood in 1893, prior to being made a Baronet in 1902.. Thereafter Evans always took a special interest in Newfoundland affairs when they were discussed in Parliament.
W E Gladstone
and seems to have been drawn into politics through that acquaintanceship. He was first returned to Parliament
at a by-election
in May 1888 as one of the two Members of Parliament
(MP) for Southampton
.
Interestingly, Evans was not in the country during the election campaign. He was on a ship returning to England from Newfoundland. He arrived to find himself an MP, the campaign having been conducted in his absence and his interests having been represented by his wife.
He was re-elected in 1892
, but lost the seat at the 1895 general election
to the Liberal Unionist
candidate Sir John Simeon
. However, the election of Southampton's other MP, the Conservative
Tankerville Chamberlayne
, was declared void on petition, and in February 1896 Evans won the resulting by-election with a majority of only 33 votes (0.2%).
He was defeated again by Chamberlayne at the general election in October 1900
, but a vacancy soon occurred in Maidstone
, where the election had been voided on petition. Evans won the Maidstone by-election on 1 March 1901
, but lost the seat in 1906
.
in 1893. Later that year he was appointed to the Commission of Lieutenancy of the City of London
. In 1894 he was appointed to a Board of Trade
committee to look into the undermanning of British ships and the proper penalties for those sending such ships to sea. He later sat on another Board of Trade enquiry into the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. In 1896, Evans was made a Vice President of the City of London Liberal Association. Among the other men similarly appointed at the same time was future party leader H H Asquith. He was created a baronet
in 1902.
in Kent
where he had a home, Tubbendens.
Public Library. The journal is written in an informal lively style, mainly detailing his widespread travels at home and abroad, family problems and illnesses, and his own accounts of events affecting his political and business career. For example the entry for 19 September 1873 has a dramatic description of a 'run' on his bank, Jay, Cooke, McCulloch & Co., the reasons for which are not clear, but by 1879 two of his partners had left the firm, one of whom, Puleston, he sued ostensibly for having embezzled £10,000 for speculative investment. Not until 1882 can he record that 'I consider myself well repaid for all the work and annoyance the suit imposed on me.'
In 1888, while he was in America, the Southampton by-election (at which he was standing) was held, and he gives his own exciting version of the hectic travelling to get back as soon as possible, and his attempts on arrival to discover the result from the ship's pilots. He also recounts his tumultuous reception and ascribes his success in the election wholly to his wife's efforts in his absence.
Some papers relating to Evans’ business activities in Newfoundland are deposited in the Archives and Special Collections, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. This collection consists of a copy of a deposition given by Francis Henry Evans, in his capacity as receiver and manager of the Southern Division of the Newfoundland Railway, to agents of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland at London on July 17 & 18, 1896, in a case by Evans against the Government of Newfoundland for breach of contract. In addition to the 15 pages of testimony there are copies of a number of pieces of correspondence relevant to the case and a copy of a petition from Evans to the Newfoundland Governor seeking restitution.
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, businessman and Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician.
Family and education
Evans was born at CrumpsallCrumpsall
Crumpsall is a suburban area and electoral ward of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about north of Manchester city centre...
Grange in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
the son of William Evans of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and his wife Mary, née Nicholson. His sister Emily Evans was married to the Industrialist and Politician Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet
Colonel Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet KGStJ was a British industrialist and politician.Seely was Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Nottingham from 1869 to 1874 and 1880 to 1885, and for Nottingham West from 1885 to 1886, and Liberal Unionist MP for Nottingham West from 1892 to 1895...
, and his nephew was the Secretary of State for War (1912-1914) J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, TD was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924...
.
He was educated at the Moravian School in Neuwied
Neuwied
Neuwied is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the right bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne...
in the Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
on the banks of the River Rhine and then at Manchester New College, London
Harris Manchester College, Oxford
Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Formerly known as Manchester College, it is listed in the University Statutes as Manchester Academy and Harris College, and at University ceremonies it is called Collegium de Harris et...
. In 1872, he married the widow of Irving Van Wart, Marie de Grasse, the daughter of the Hon Samuel Stevens of Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, who was described in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as sometime New York State Attorney General
New York State Attorney General
The New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman...
. They had three sons and two daughters.
Civil engineering
It was first intended that Evans should become a civil engineer. He was therefore articled to Sir James BrunleesJames Brunlees
Sir James Brunlees was a Scottish civil engineer. He was born in Kelso in the Scottish Borders in 1816.In 1850, Brunlees worked on the Londonderry and Coleraine Railway...
with whom he worked on a number of projects including the construction of the London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
system. Under Brunlees’ direction, Evans worked on the construction of a railway in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He then went to America with his father during the time of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and travelled extensively, including taking part in scouting expeditions in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Banking and shipping
While in the United States, Evans got involved in business, finding he had a flair for banking in particular. He went on to found the firm Melville, Evans & Company conducting banking transactions between business interests in Britain and America. He later diversified into shipping and in 1880 he joined the board of Union Steamship CompanyUnion-Castle Line
The Union-Castle Line was a prominent British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line...
rising to become Chairman and Managing Director. In 1900, the company merged with the Castle Line and Evans joined the firm of Donald Corrie & Co, the managers of the Union Castle Line and remained a partner until he died.
Newfoundland
Evans had substantial business interests in the CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. It was probably Evans’ knowledge of railway construction that led to his involvement in Newfoundland affairs. In 1881, a syndicate known as the Newfoundland Railway Company, under the direction of A. L. Blackman of New York, obtained government support to build a railway from St. John's to Hall's Bay at the western end of Notre Dame Bay. Melville, Evans and Company arranged much of the financing needed before work could begin. When the Newfoundland Railway Company declared bankruptcy in 1884, Melville, Evans and Company were appointed receivers of the company on behalf of the bondholders, and also as operators of the railway, which they did for 12 years, until the government purchased the railway in 1896. A document dated 1892 lists Evans as Receiver and Manager of the Southern Division of the Newfoundland Railway.
Further involvement in Newfoundland affairs, perhaps because of his knowledge of Newfoundland and his experience with the railway deal, resulted with Evans's to a commission representing the interests of the Newfoundland government in their fisheries dispute with France in the late 1880s and early 1890s. It is claimed that Evans's work on this commission contributed greatly towards his knighthood in 1893, prior to being made a Baronet in 1902.. Thereafter Evans always took a special interest in Newfoundland affairs when they were discussed in Parliament.
Other business interests
Evans was a sometime director of the Thames and Mersey Marine Insurance Company and of the International Sleeping Car Company.Politics
Evans was said to be a friend of the Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
W E Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
and seems to have been drawn into politics through that acquaintanceship. He was first returned to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in May 1888 as one of the two Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Southampton
Southampton (UK Parliament constituency)
Southampton was a parliamentary constituency which was represented in the British House of Commons. Centred on the town of Southampton, it returned two Members of Parliament from 1295 until it was abolished for the 1950 general election....
.
Interestingly, Evans was not in the country during the election campaign. He was on a ship returning to England from Newfoundland. He arrived to find himself an MP, the campaign having been conducted in his absence and his interests having been represented by his wife.
He was re-elected in 1892
United Kingdom general election, 1892
The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...
, but lost the seat at the 1895 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
to the Liberal Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
candidate Sir John Simeon
Sir John Simeon, 4th Baronet
Sir John Stephen Barrington Simeon, 4th Baronet was one of the two Members of Parliament for Southampton at the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century. He was born at Swainston Manor in West Wight on 31 August 1850 and succeeded his father, the 3rd baronet, in 1870. He served in...
. However, the election of Southampton's other MP, the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Tankerville Chamberlayne
Tankerville Chamberlayne
Tankerville Chamberlayne was a landowner in Hampshire and a Member of Parliament, serving the Southampton constituency three times, as an Independent and Conservative. Following the 1895 General Election false allegations were made concerning his conduct and this resulted in his being unseated on...
, was declared void on petition, and in February 1896 Evans won the resulting by-election with a majority of only 33 votes (0.2%).
He was defeated again by Chamberlayne at the general election in October 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, but a vacancy soon occurred in Maidstone
Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
, where the election had been voided on petition. Evans won the Maidstone by-election on 1 March 1901
Maidstone by-election, 1901
The Maidstone by-election, 1901 was a by-election held in England on 1 March 1901 for the House of Commons constituency of Maidstone in Kent.-Vacancy:...
, but lost the seat in 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
.
Honours and appointments
Evans was made a KCMGOrder of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1893. Later that year he was appointed to the Commission of Lieutenancy of the City of London
Lord Lieutenant of the City of London
The City of London is unique in that the post of Lord-Lieutenant is held in commission. The Lord Mayor of the City of London is the head of the Commission of Lieutenancy....
. In 1894 he was appointed to a Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
committee to look into the undermanning of British ships and the proper penalties for those sending such ships to sea. He later sat on another Board of Trade enquiry into the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. In 1896, Evans was made a Vice President of the City of London Liberal Association. Among the other men similarly appointed at the same time was future party leader H H Asquith. He was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1902.
Death
Evans died on 22 January 1907 aged 66 after a short illness. He was buried in OrpingtonOrpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
where he had a home, Tubbendens.
Papers
A journal kept by Sir Francis Evans for over thirty years and containing extracts from another book (now missing) in which he kept family and business records and the signatures of those present at his Christmas dinner, is deposited in the Local Studies and Archives section of the BromleyBromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
Public Library. The journal is written in an informal lively style, mainly detailing his widespread travels at home and abroad, family problems and illnesses, and his own accounts of events affecting his political and business career. For example the entry for 19 September 1873 has a dramatic description of a 'run' on his bank, Jay, Cooke, McCulloch & Co., the reasons for which are not clear, but by 1879 two of his partners had left the firm, one of whom, Puleston, he sued ostensibly for having embezzled £10,000 for speculative investment. Not until 1882 can he record that 'I consider myself well repaid for all the work and annoyance the suit imposed on me.'
In 1888, while he was in America, the Southampton by-election (at which he was standing) was held, and he gives his own exciting version of the hectic travelling to get back as soon as possible, and his attempts on arrival to discover the result from the ship's pilots. He also recounts his tumultuous reception and ascribes his success in the election wholly to his wife's efforts in his absence.
Some papers relating to Evans’ business activities in Newfoundland are deposited in the Archives and Special Collections, Queen Elizabeth II Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada. This collection consists of a copy of a deposition given by Francis Henry Evans, in his capacity as receiver and manager of the Southern Division of the Newfoundland Railway, to agents of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland at London on July 17 & 18, 1896, in a case by Evans against the Government of Newfoundland for breach of contract. In addition to the 15 pages of testimony there are copies of a number of pieces of correspondence relevant to the case and a copy of a petition from Evans to the Newfoundland Governor seeking restitution.