Sir Edwin Evans (1855 – 4 April 1928) was a British

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

estate agent An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting, or management of properties and other buildings. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent. Estate agents are mainly engaged i ...

Background

Edwin Evans was born in Kentish Town, north

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Later he moved to the expanding suburbs of south London, where he established his auctioneering business, eventually settling in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

Career

Evans became active in the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and in 1910 was selected by the

Municipal Reform Party The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 1945 ...

to contest elections to the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

. He was not elected on that occasion, and declined the offer of standing as a member of parliament. Instead, he became involved in extra-parliamentary activities opposing the budgetary policies of the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

government, in particular the introduction of Capital Gains Tax. He was a founder member of the Land Union, and President of the Protection of Property Association (POPA). In 1910, he was appointed to the board of the Stepney and Suburban Building Society. In 1913, Evans was elected to the county council as a

councillor, representing

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...

in south London. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was a member of the council's Parks, Smallholdings and Allotments Standing Committee, which oversaw the use of public spaces for the production of food. In 1919, he was re-elected to the county council as a councillor for Battersea South, holding the seat until 1925.

Knighthood

In 1927 on the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

's birthday, Evans was knighted for “political and public services in Battersea”.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Edwin 1855 births 1928 deaths People from Kentish Town British estate agents (people) 20th-century British politicians Members of London County Council Councillors in the London Borough of Wandsworth Municipal Reform Party politicians Knights Bachelor