.svg)
Evan Cotton: Difference between revisions
>Monkbot m (Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 2 templates: del empty params (3×); hyphenate params (4×);) |
->Wizardman (+) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Indian politician}} | |||
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}} | {{EngvarB|date=May 2015}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date= | {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} | ||
{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name = Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton | | name = Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton | ||
| Line 7: | Line 8: | ||
| caption = | | caption = | ||
| birth_date = 27 May 1868 | | birth_date = 27 May 1868 | ||
| birth_place = [[Midnapore]] | | birth_place = [[Midnapore]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British Raj]] | ||
| death_date = 7 March 1939 | | death_date = 7 March 1939 | ||
| death_place = [[Eastbourne]] | | death_place = [[Eastbourne]], England | ||
| occupation = Historian, author | | occupation = Historian, author | ||
| spouse = Nora | | spouse = Nora | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton''' [[Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] (24 May 1868 – 7 March 1939), better known as '''Evan Cotton''' or '''H. E. A. Cotton''', was a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician, [[barrister]], administrator, journalist, historian and writer. His ''Calcutta Old and New'', first published in 1907, remains unsurpassed to this day.<ref name = "Ray">Ray, Nisith Ranjan Ray, Editor's Note in the book ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, pp. 1–4, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.</ref> | '''Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton''' [[Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire|CIE]] (24 May 1868 – 7 March 1939), better known as '''Evan Cotton''' or '''H. E. A. Cotton''', was a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician, [[barrister]], administrator, journalist, historian and writer. His ''Calcutta Old and New'', first published in 1907, remains unsurpassed to this day.<ref name = "Ray">Ray, Nisith Ranjan Ray, Editor's Note in the book ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, pp. 1–4, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd. {{PD-notice}}</ref> | ||
==Formative years== | ==Formative years== | ||
| Line 232: | Line 233: | ||
==Estimate of the person== | ==Estimate of the person== | ||
In all his activities, his primary concern was for India, a country served by four generations in the family. He provided strong support to the [[ | In all his activities, his primary concern was for India, a country served by four generations in the family. He provided strong support to the [[Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms]] and served on an advisory committee at the India Office in connection with the 1919 Act. He was pivot of a small group that supported reforms. However, the changing political environment dampened his spirits. He later became a severe critic of the constitutional changes that led to the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|Round Table Conference]].<ref name = "Times">Obituary in ''[[The Times]]'', 8 March 1939, p. 18</ref> | ||
==Marriage== | ==Marriage== | ||
| Line 247: | Line 248: | ||
* ''Who's Who of British members of parliament, Volume II 1886–1918'', edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978) | * ''Who's Who of British members of parliament, Volume II 1886–1918'', edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978) | ||
{{reflist|refs= | {{reflist|refs= | ||
<ref name="halhed">{{cite web|url=http://www.halhed.com/t4r/getperson.php?personID=I3072&tree=tree1|work=Halhed genealogy & | <ref name="halhed">{{cite web|url=http://www.halhed.com/t4r/getperson.php?personID=I3072&tree=tree1|work=Halhed genealogy & family trees|title=Henry John Stedman Cotton 1845 – 1915|access-date=19 February 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007180636/http://www.halhed.com/t4r/getperson.php?personID=I3072&tree=tree1|archive-date=7 October 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
| Line 276: | Line 277: | ||
[[Category:Progressive Party (London) politicians]] | [[Category:Progressive Party (London) politicians]] | ||
[[Category:People from Paschim Medinipur district]] | [[Category:People from Paschim Medinipur district]] | ||
[[Category:Nathaniel Cotton family]] | |||
Latest revision as of 04:30, 1 December 2021
Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 May 1868 |
| Died | 7 March 1939 Eastbourne, England |
| Occupation | Historian, author |
| Spouse(s) | Nora |
Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton CIE (24 May 1868 – 7 March 1939), better known as Evan Cotton or H. E. A. Cotton, was a Liberal politician, barrister, administrator, journalist, historian and writer. His Calcutta Old and New, first published in 1907, remains unsurpassed to this day.[1]
Formative years[edit]
The son of Sir Henry Cotton,[2] who had the rare distinction of presiding over the 1904 session of the Indian National Congress, and the Irish-born Mary Ryan, he was born at Midnapore, where his father was then posted. He had his early schooling at Mount Liban School, Pau and then at Sherborne School.[1]
He held an open scholarship at Jesus College, Oxford, where he obtained a second class in Classics Honour Mods, followed by second class degrees in history and jurisprudence. He was a keen debater and was elected secretary and then treasurer of the Oxford Union. He was called to the bar by Lincoln's Inn.
Professional life[edit]
Cotton practised at Calcutta High Court from 1893 to 1908. He served as a member of Calcutta Municipal Corporation.[1] He covered the Delhi Durbar of 1903 as a correspondent of the Manchester Guardian. He subsequently served as the Kolkata correspondent of the Daily News. He undertook the editorship of India, the weekly organ of the British Committee of the Indian National Congress. He served as President of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1922 to 1925.[3] He was an active member of the Indian Historical Records Commission and was chairman from 1923 to 1925.
Politics[edit]
Evan returned to England in 1906 and joined the Liberal Party. His father was himself a Liberal MP who sat for Nottingham East from 1906–1910. In January 1910, Evan contested the General Election at the Conservative seat of Dulwich;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] | Bonar Law | 8,472 | 58.3 | +3.0 |
| style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] | Harry Evan Auguste Cotton | 6,054 | 41.7 | -3.0 |
| Majority | 2,418 | 16.6 | +6.0 | ||
| Turnout | 88.2 | ||||
| style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] hold | Swing | +3.0 | ||
In March 1910 he was elected as a Progressive Councillor to the London County Council representing Finsbury East;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Progressive Party (London)/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Progressive Party (London)|Template:Progressive Party (London)/meta/shortname]] |  Henry Evan Auguste Cotton
|
2,026 | 27.9 | |
| style="background-color: Template:Progressive Party (London)/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Progressive Party (London)|Template:Progressive Party (London)/meta/shortname]] | George Masterman Gillett
|
2,020 | 27.8 | |
| style="background-color: Template:Municipal Reform Party/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Municipal Reform Party|Template:Municipal Reform Party/meta/shortname]] | Lord Hardwicke | 1,616 | 22.3 | |
| style="background-color: Template:Municipal Reform Party/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Municipal Reform Party|Template:Municipal Reform Party/meta/shortname]] | Rev. J Lewthwaite | 1,592 | 21.9 | |
| Majority | |||||
| Progressive Party (London) gain from Municipal Reform Party | Swing | ||||
The Progressives were the local government arm of the Liberal Party. In March 1913 he was re-elected to the LCC;
In July 1918, when a vacancy occurred due to the death of a Liberal MP, for the parliamentary seat of Finsbury East. Cotton was an obvious candidate to defend the seat for the Liberal Party. Due to the wartime electoral truce, he did not face an official Unionist Party opponent and was comfortably elected;
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] | Harry Evan Auguste Cotton | 1,156 | 59.9 | +8.3 |
| Independent | Capt. H.S. Spencer | 576 | 29.8 | n/a | |
| Independent | A.S. Belsher | 199 | 10.3 | n/a | |
| Majority | 580 | 30.1 | |||
| Turnout | 38.7 | ||||
| style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] hold | Swing | N/A | ||
Following boundary changes, Evan's Finsbury East seat was merged with the Unionist seat of Finsbury Central to form a new Finsbury constituency. The Coalition Government chose to publicly endorse the Unionist candidate who was the sitting MP for the old Central seat. This endorsement made Evan's prospects difficult and after only 5 months as an MP he was defeated;
Template:Election box win
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Coalition Conservative/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Coalition Conservative|Template:Coalition Conservative/meta/shortname]] | Martin Archer-Shee | 8,782 | 63.8 | n/a |
| style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color; width: 5px;" | | [[Liberal Party (UK)|Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/shortname]] | Harry Evan Auguste Cotton | 4,981 | 36.2 | n/a |
| Majority | 3,801 | 27.6 | n/a | ||
| Turnout | 13,763 | 39.5 | n/a | ||
In 1919 he did not defend his Finsbury East seat on the London County Council as after the election he was appointed as an Alderman.
Estimate of the person[edit]
In all his activities, his primary concern was for India, a country served by four generations in the family. He provided strong support to the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms and served on an advisory committee at the India Office in connection with the 1919 Act. He was pivot of a small group that supported reforms. However, the changing political environment dampened his spirits. He later became a severe critic of the constitutional changes that led to the Round Table Conference.[5]
Marriage[edit]
In 1896, he married Nora, daughter of William H.Grimley of Bengal ICS. They had a daughter.[5]
Works[edit]
Calcutta: Old and New, The Century in India 1800–1900, Hartly House, Calcutta, Murray’s Handbook of India, Burma and Ceylon (13th and 14th editions)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- Who's Who of British members of parliament, Volume II 1886–1918, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1978)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ray, Nisith Ranjan Ray, Editor's Note in the book Calcutta Old and New, 1909/1980, pp. 1–4, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ "Henry John Stedman Cotton 1845 – 1915". Halhed genealogy & family trees. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
- ↑ "West Bengal Legislative Assembly". legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 London Municipal Notes, 1913
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Obituary in The Times, 8 March 1939, p. 18
| Unrecognised parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joseph Allen Baker |
Member of Parliament for East Finsbury 1918 Finsbury East by-election – 1918 General Election |
constituency abolished |
- 1868 births
- 1939 deaths
- People educated at Sherborne School
- Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
- British barristers
- Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire
- Indian National Congress
- Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
- Politicians from Kolkata
- UK MPs 1910–1918
- Members of London County Council
- Progressive Party (London) politicians
- People from Paschim Medinipur district
- Nathaniel Cotton family