670 Alexander Brogden

Constituency : Wednesbury  1868-85

 Alexander  was  the  first  MP  for  the  new  seat  of  Wednesbury.

Alexander  was  the  son  of  an  engineering  contractor  from  Manchester. He  was  educated  at  King's  College  London. He  had  some  thoughts  of  becoming  a  barrister  but  was  persuaded  to  work  in  the  family  firm  instead. He  supervised  the  building  of  numerous  railways  including  the  East  Lancashire  Railway.  He  gradually  took  over  the  running  of  the  firm. He  also  had  interests  in  mining  in  Ulverston  and  Bridgend. He  also  had  investments  in  America/
 He  was  defeated  at  Great  Yarmouth  in  1865.

Alexander  was  a  firm  believer  in  retrenchment  and  made  many  nitpicking  interventions  on  the  Civil  Service  Estimates.

In  1884  the  firm  went  into  liquidation  largely  due  to  the  failure  of  the  Ulverston  Mining Company. Alexander  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  seat  for  the  1885  election  where  it  fell  to  the  Tories.

Alexander  paid  for  the  Grand  Organ  in  West  Bromwich  Town  Hall.

Alexander  died  in  1892  of  burns  received  in  a  domestic  accident. He  was  67.