Sir Francis Evans, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Henry Evans, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Crumpsall Grange, Lancashire, England |
| Died | January 22, 1907 (aged 66) Grosvenor Place, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Civil engineer, entrepreneur, politician |
| Known for | Railway engineering, banking, shipping; Member of Parliament for Southampton and Maidstone; involvement with Newfoundland Railway |
Sir Francis Henry Evans, 1st Baronet, (29 August 1840 – 22 January 1907), was a British civil engineer, entrepreneur, and politician affiliated with the Liberal Party.
Family and education
Born at Crumpsall Grange in Lancashire, Evans was the son of William Evans from Manchester and Mary, née Nicholson. His sister Emily was married to industrialist and politician Sir Charles Seely, 1st Baronet, and his nephew was J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, who served as Secretary of State for War from 1912 to 1914.
Evans received his education at the Moravian School in Neuwied and later at Manchester New College, London. In 1872, he wed Marie de Grasse Stevens, the widow of Irving Van Wart and daughter of Hon Samuel Stevens from Albany, New York. The couple had five children: three sons and two daughters.
Civil engineering
Evans began his professional life as a civil engineer, undertaking an apprenticeship under Sir James Brunlees. His work included involvement with the London and North Western Railway network and a railroad project in Brazil. During the American Civil War era, he traveled extensively throughout the United States.
Banking and shipping
While in America, Evans developed expertise in banking, founding Melville, Evans & Company to support commercial dealings between British and American enterprises. He expanded into maritime ventures by joining the board of the Union Steamship Company in 1880, eventually rising to chairman and managing director. After the 1900 merger forming the Union-Castle Line through its combination with Castle Line, Evans became a partner at the management firm Donald Currie & Co., a position he held until his passing.
Newfoundland
Evans maintained substantial commercial interests in Newfoundland, which was then under British colonial rule. His background in railway engineering likely influenced his engagement there. In 1881, the Newfoundland Railway Company, led by A. L. Blackman from New York, obtained government approval to construct a railway linking St. John's with Hall's Bay. Melville, Evans and Company arranged much of the project's financing. Following the company's insolvency in 1884, Melville, Evans and Company were appointed as receivers and managed railway operations for twelve years until its acquisition by the government in 1896. Records from 1892 identify Evans as Receiver and Manager of the Newfoundland Railway’s Southern Division.
His involvement extended to representing Newfoundland's government during a fisheries dispute with France in the late 1880s through early 1890s. This service contributed to his being knighted in 1893 and subsequently receiving a baronetcy in 1902. Throughout parliamentary debates, he remained actively engaged with matters concerning Newfoundland.
Other business interests
Evans also held directorships at the Thames and Mersey Marine Insurance Company as well as the International Sleeping Car Company.
Politics
A personal acquaintance of Prime Minister W E Gladstone, Evans entered politics through this connection. He first secured a seat in the Parliament via a May 1888 by-election representing Southampton. Remarkably, he did not campaign personally as he was returning from Newfoundland; instead, his wife advocated on his behalf.
He retained his seat in the 1892 election but was defeated in 1895 by Liberal Unionist Sir John Simeon. When one Southampton MP’s election was annulled, Evans narrowly won a February 1896 by-election by just 33 votes (0.2%). He lost again to Conservative Tankerville Chamberlayne in 1900 but regained parliamentary representation at Maidstone through a 1901 by-election following another voided election. However, he was unseated at Maidstone during the 1906 contest.
Honours and appointments
In 1893, Evans was honored with the title of Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG). That same year, he was named to the Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London. The following year, he participated in a Board of Trade committee focused on addressing crew shortages on British vessels and establishing penalties for violations. Subsequently, he contributed to another Board of Trade investigation concerning the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. By 1896, Evans had assumed the role of vice-president of the City of London Liberal Association, serving alongside future party leader H H Asquith. In the 1902 Coronation Honours list, it was announced that he would be granted a baronetcy; he officially received the title of Baronet of Tubbendens, Kent, on 24 July 1902.
Death
Evans passed away from angina pectoris at his residence in Grosvenor Place, London, on 22 January 1907 at the age of 66 after a short illness. His burial took place at his home estate, Tubbendens, located in Orpington, Kent.
Papers
The personal journal of Sir Francis Evans, spanning more than three decades and including records related to his family and business affairs, is preserved at Bromley Public Library. Written in a conversational tone, it chronicles his journeys, familial topics, as well as political and commercial developments. Among its notable entries are accounts of a 1873 financial crisis involving his bank Jay, Cooke, McCulloch & Co., legal conflicts with partners over allegations of embezzlement, and his intense return during the 1888 Southampton by-election—where he attributes his electoral victory largely to his wife’s contributions.
Additional documents pertaining to Evans’ commercial ventures in Newfoundland are maintained at Memorial University of Newfoundland. This archive encompasses his testimony as receiver and manager for the Southern Division of the Newfoundland Railway during an 1896 lawsuit against the Government of Newfoundland alleging breach of contract, along with associated correspondence and petitions requesting compensation.