1205 Francis Evans

Constituency  : Southampton  1888-95, 1896-1900,  Maidstone  1901-06

Francis  reclaimed  one  of  the  Southampton  seats  from  the  Tories  in  a  by-election. He  was actually  out  of  the  country  at  the  time  and  his  campaign  was  conducted  by  his  wife.

Francis  was  from  Lancashire  and  was  the  brother-in-law  of   Sir  Charles  Seely . He  was educated  at  a  Moravian  school  in  Germany. He  became  a  civil  engineer  and  worked  on railways  both  here  and  in  Brazil. He  accompanied  his  father  to  America  and  got  involved  in the  banking  business.  He  later  moved  into  shipping  and  had  substantial  business  interests  in Newfoundland.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Union  Steamship  Co.  and  a  director  of  the Southampton  Dock  Company. He  was  drawn  into  politics  through a  friendship with  Gladstone.

Francis  was  pushed into  third  place  in  1895  but  regained  the  seat  when   the  Tory  victor  was unseated  on  petition  for  treating  voters. Francis  narrowly  came  through  at  the  by-election  with a  majority  of  35. He  lost  again  in  1900  but  came  back  in  at  Maidstone  after  another  voided election.

Francis  was  created  a  baronet  in  1902.  He  then  became  one  of  the  few  Liberal  losers  in 1906.

 Francis  was  a  right  wing  Liberal  who  campaigned  on  "The Unity  of  Empire".

 He  died  in  1907  aged  66,  of  angina  pectoris.