Alfred Yeo (British politician)
Sir Alfred William Yeo | |
---|---|
Member of Parliament for Poplar South Poplar (1914–1918) | |
In office 19 February 1914 – 26 October 1922 | |
Preceded by | Sydney Buxton |
Succeeded by | Samuel March |
Personal details | |
Born | 13 October 1863 |
Died | 13 April 1928 Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England | (aged 64)
Political party | Liberal |
Spouses | Mary Ann Brown
(m. 1886; died 1911)Florence Jane Stevens
(m. 1911) |
Children | 1 |
Sir Alfred William Yeo (13 October 1863 – 14 April 1928) was a British Liberal politician, self-made businessman and public servant.
Family and education
Alfred William Yeo was the son of George Yeo, a native of the county of Devon who struggled to make a living as a house-painter. The family moved to Kent. There is conflicting evidence about Alfred's place of birth which is given as Devon in his obituary in The Times [1] but is stated to be London in a source provided by the Yeo family.[2] He was educated at Marner Street and High Street Schools, Bromley. In 1886, he married Mary Ann Brown. They had one son. Mary Ann Yeo died in 1911 and Alfred was married again that same year to Florence Jane Stevens from Poplar, London.[3] In religion Yeo was a strong Nonconformist[4] and a supporter of the National Brotherhood Federation.[2]
Career
By the end of his career, Yeo could be described as wealthy and a self-made man but he started at the very bottom. After schooling, Yeo found work in an iron foundry. He told one of the London newspapers that at the age of eleven he had had to work for 84 hours a week, or 14 hours a day, for six days a week.[5] He later worked for thirty years in business in the music trade [3] dealing in musical instruments,[6] notably pianos.[7]
Local government service
Yeo immersed himself in local administration in Poplar over many years. He served as a member of
Parliament
Poplar
In February 1914, the Liberal
1918
There were boundary changes affecting Yeo's constituency for the
Along with
Yeo held the seat with nearly 50% of the poll.[16] At the 1922 general election, Yeo fought South Poplar as a National Liberal supporting outgoing prime minister David Lloyd George. In a straight fight with Labour's Samuel March however he lost the seat by the wide margin of 4,338 votes.[17]
1923-28
Yeo tried to get back into Parliament at the 1923 general election when he stood for the reunified Liberal Party at the Northamptonshire seat of Kettering but he came bottom of the poll in a three-cornered contest.[18] He did not stand for Parliament again but at the time of his death he was Liberal candidate for Romford in Essex.[19]
Other appointments
Yeo took a strong interest in education being chairman for over 20 years under the auspices of the
Asked to recall his proudest moment in government or public service, Sir Alfred said this had been when the old age pension was raised from 7/6d to ten shillings largely as a consequence of his efforts.[22]
Honours
Yeo was
Publications
Yeo authored a number of political pamphlets including pamphlets, Trade After the War; On Character and The Cross and the Crossways. [3]
Death
Yeo was taken ill in December 1927, suffering from what was described as a
References
- ^ The Times, 16 April 1928 p21
- ^ a b The Yeo Family History;http://www.yeosociety.com/biographies/Siralfredwilliamyeo.htm
- ^ a b c d e Who was Who, OUP 2007
- ^ The Times, 18 November 1919 p12
- ^ William Montgomery Brown, The bankruptcy of Christian supernaturalism; Bradford-Brown Educational Co., 1930 p248
- ^ a b The Times, 21 February 1914 p9
- ^ The Times, 6 July 1928 p22
- ^ The Times, 10 November 1903 p11
- ^ The Times, 12 February 1914 p8
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918; Macmillan, 1974 p54
- ^ The Times, 13 February 1914 p8
- ^ The Times, 20 November 1918 p10
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1969 p42
- ^ Julia Bush, Behind the lines: East London labour, 1914-1919; Merlin Press, 1984 p87
- ISSN 0085-5774.
- ^ The Times House of Commons 1919; Politico’s Publishing, 2004 p21
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1969 p42
- ^ F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1969 p437
- ^ The Times, 10 September 1927 p7
- ^ The Times, 5 August 1908 p8
- ^ The Times, 3 July 1922 p8
- ^ The Times, 28 November 1923 p7
- ^ The Times, 1 January 1918 p7
- ^ The Times, 2 April 1928 p14
- ^ The Times, 16 April 1918 p21