970 John Edwards

Constituency : Salisbury  1880-5

John  was  the  other  Liberal  victor  in  Salisbury.

John  was  the  son  of  a  carpenter  from  Cornwall. He  was  educated  at  a  village  school .He  started work  as a  journalist  for  The  Sentinel  reporting  from  Manchester  on  the  Anti-Corn  Law  League. From  1846  he  started  giving  public  lectures  on  his  beliefs. He  was  a  delegate  to  peace  conferences  in  Europe  between  1848  and  1850. He  bought  Building  News  in  1862  and  made  it  profitable. He  bought  a  share  in  The  Echo  in  1876. He  stood  as an  Independent  in  Truro in  1868.

John  wasn't  happy as  a  professional  politician  and  didn't  speak  in  the  Commons. He  refused  a knighthood  in  1903.

John  was  a  generous  philanthropist  with  over  70  buildings  starting  from  his bequests  in  both  London  and  the  West  Country. He  was  a  strong  supporter  of  workers'  education. He  was  opposed  to  capital  punishment.

John  was  a  vocal  opponent  of  the  Boer  War.

He  died  in  1911  aged  88.