Sir Charles Rivers Wilson (1831–1916) was a British civil servant and financier.

Biography

Grave of Sir Charles Rivers Wilson in Kensal Green Cemetery

Wilson was born in London on 19 February 1831. He studied at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

. He entered the Treasury in 1856, and was private secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (

Robert Lowe Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, GCB, PC (4 December 1811 – 27 July 1892), British statesman, was a pivotal conservative spokesman who helped shape British politics in the latter half of the 19th century. He held office under William E ...

) from 1868 to 1873. He was Royal Commissioner for the

Paris Exhibition of 1878 The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War. Construction The buildings and the fairgroun ...

, having been already appointed Comptroller General of Office for Reduction of National Debt in 1874. Whilst holding this position, Wilson visited

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

in 1876 and he was appointed a government director of the Suez Canal Company. Early in 1878 he was selected as vice-president of the Commission to enquire into the Egyptian financial situation. A few months later, in May, Wilson was nominated Financial Minister in Egypt.Hansard 11th August 1879 - Egyst Observations In 1879, Wilson and the first Prime Minister of Egypt,

Nubar Pasha Nubar Pasha ( ar, نوبار باشا hy, Նուպար Փաշա (January 1825, Smyrna, Ottoman Empire - 14 January 1899, Paris) was an Egyptian-Armenian politician and the first Prime Minister of Egypt. He served as Prime Minister three times d ...

, were the victims of a serious outrage by the mob in the streets of

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

– an incident which was the direct precursor of the Arabi revolt and the British occupation of Egypt in 1882. In April 1880, on the fall of the

Khedive Ismail Isma'il Pasha ( ar, إسماعيل باشا ; 12 January 1830 – 2 March 1895), was the Khedive of Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt and conqueror of Sudan (region), Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when Tewfik Pasha, he was removed at the behest of Great Bri ...

and the inauguration of his son Tewfik as Khedive, Wilson was appointed president of the Commission for the Liquidation of the Egyptian Debt, with full powers to regulate the financial position of Egypt. On the conclusion of this duty he returned to his post in London. On retiring from his post as Comptroller General of the National Debt Office in 1894, he became in 1895 president of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. He appointed

Charles Melville Hays Charles Melville Hays (May 16, 1856 – April 15, 1912) was the president of the Grand Trunk Railway. He began working in the railroad business as a clerk at the age of 17 and quickly rose through the ranks of management to become the General M ...

as general manager, who undertook a major reorganisation of the railway. In 1903 he launched the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. He also served as director of the

Alliance Assurance Company Sun Alliance Group plc was a large insurance business with its main offices in the City of London and later Horsham. It was created in 1959 by the merger of Sun Insurance, founded in 1710, and Alliance Assurance founded in 1824. In 1996 Sun Alli ...

(from 1880), and as chairman of British Electric Traction Company from 1896. He was created a

K.C.M.G. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honou ...

in 1880 and was promoted G.C.M.G. in 1895. Married twice, he had no children and he died in London on 9 February 1916. He is buried with his second wife, Violet, in Kensal Green Cemetery, opposite the grave of Wilkie Collins. The town of Rivers, Manitoba is named after him.

Notes

References

* Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Charles Rivers 1831 births 1916 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford People educated at Eton College English civil servants Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Civil servants in HM Treasury Private secretaries in the British Civil Service 19th-century English businesspeople