Alfred William Yeo
Encyclopedia
Sir Alfred William Yeo was a British Liberal
politician, self-made businessman and public servant.
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
but is stated to be London
in a source provided by the Yeo family. 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
. In religion Yeo was a strong Nonconformist and a supporter of the National Brotherhood Federation.
, an early form of local government in London
. He was later a member of the Board of Works
and for nine years served as Progressive Party
member for Limehouse
on the London County Council
. He was an elected member of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar
for 25 years. He served as a member of Poplar Board of Guardians
, the body charged with administering the English Poor Laws
for ten years, for six years of which he was Chairman. He also worked in other areas of social and unemployment relief being for ten years Chairman of the Poplar Distress Committee, a body set up under the Unemployed Workmen Act of 1905
to provide grants to create jobs. In 1903–04, Yeo was elected Mayor
of Poplar.
, Sydney Buxton
was appointed Governor-General of South Africa and stood down from the House of Commons
. For the subsequent by-election
on 19 February, Yeo was selected as Liberal candidate and held the seat in a tight contest against the Conservative
challenge, albeit by a small and much reduced majority. The Unionist candidate's performance was clearly given a boost by the Conservative victory in nearby Bethnal Green South West
a by-election which had been caused by the resignation of Charles Masterman to become Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
and the result of which had declared the day before. A further reason for the small majority may have been what was reported to have been splits and disagreements in the local Liberal party with some elements having supported Sir Victor Horsley
, the eminent scientist and surgeon, as potential candidate over Yeo.
and Yeo was chosen to fight the new seat of South Poplar
. He contested the seat as a Coalition Liberal, having presumably been granted the Coalition coupon
. He was opposed by Labour
and by a candidate from the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
, although this candidate, Captain Wilfrid Allen, is also described in other sources as a Conservative
.
Yeo held the seat with nearly 50% of the poll.
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.
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. He did not stand for Parliament again but at the time of his death he was Liberal candidate for Romford
in Essex
.
of local schools in St Leonard’s Road, Hay Currie, and Bromley Hall Road Groups. He also served as Chairman of Lord Buxton
’s Committee dealing with distress during the transport workers’ dispute of 1912 and as Chairman of the London County Council Mental Hospital at Claybury
. He played a part in getting the government to bring in a Bill to prevent increase of rents during War and six months thereafter and to bring in regulations for Tribunals dealing with one-man businesses to protect the livelihoods of self-employed men who were being conscripted. Yeo was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace
and served for a while as Vice-Chairman of the Tower Bench.
Yeo also supported a campaign led by the Duchess of Hamilton
for slaughterhouse
reform and spoke at a number of public meetings to demand an end to what were described as cruel methods of slaughtering animals for food and calling for the compulsory introduction of mechanically operated humane-killers.
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.
. His condition deteriorated over the following months and he died at his home at Westcliff-on-Sea
on 14 April 1928.
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
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 DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
who struggled to make a living as a house-painter. The family moved to Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. There is conflicting evidence about Alfred’s place of birth which is given as Devon in his obituary in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
but is stated to be London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in a source provided by the Yeo family. He was educated at Marner Street and High Street Schools, Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of 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
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
. In religion Yeo was a strong Nonconformist and a supporter of the National Brotherhood Federation.
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. He later worked for thirty years in business in the music trade dealing in musical instruments, notably pianos.Local government service
Yeo immersed himself in local administration in Poplar over many years. He served as a member of VestryVestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, an early form of local government in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was later a member of the Board of Works
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works was the principal instrument of London-wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889. Its principal responsibility was to provide infrastructure to cope with London's rapid growth, which it successfully accomplished. The MBW...
and for nine years served as Progressive Party
Progressive Party (London)
The Progressive Party was a political party based around the Liberal Party that contested municipal elections in the County of London.It was founded in 1888 by a group of Liberals and leaders of the labour movement. It was also supported by the Fabian Society, and Sidney Webb was one of its...
member for Limehouse
Limehouse (UK Parliament constituency)
Limehouse was a borough constituency centred on the Limehouse district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- History :...
on the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
. He was an elected member of the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar
Metropolitan Borough of Poplar
Poplar was a local government district in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was formed as a district of the Metropolis in 1855 and became a metropolitan borough in the County of London in 1900. It comprised the civil parishes of Bow, Bromley and Poplar until 1907, when it also became a...
for 25 years. He served as a member of Poplar Board of Guardians
Board of Guardians
Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...
, the body charged with administering the English Poor Laws
English Poor Laws
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
for ten years, for six years of which he was Chairman. He also worked in other areas of social and unemployment relief being for ten years Chairman of the Poplar Distress Committee, a body set up under the Unemployed Workmen Act of 1905
Unemployed Workmen Act 1905
The 1905 Unemployed Workmen Act was first passed by the Conservative Party in 1903 and was later renewed by the Liberal Party in 1905. The Unemployed Workmen Act established Distress Committees which gave out single grants to businesses or local authorities in order to allow them to hire more...
to provide grants to create jobs. In 1903–04, Yeo was elected Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Poplar.
Poplar
In February 1914, the Liberal MP for PoplarPoplar (UK Parliament constituency)
Poplar was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Poplar district of the East End of London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
, Sydney Buxton
Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton
Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton GCMG, PC was a British Liberal politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Background and education:...
was appointed Governor-General of South Africa and stood down from the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. For the subsequent by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on 19 February, Yeo was selected as Liberal candidate and held the seat in a tight contest against the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
challenge, albeit by a small and much reduced majority. The Unionist candidate's performance was clearly given a boost by the Conservative victory in nearby Bethnal Green South West
Bethnal Green South West (UK Parliament constituency)
Bethnal Green South West was a constituency in London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
a by-election which had been caused by the resignation of Charles Masterman to become Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
and the result of which had declared the day before. A further reason for the small majority may have been what was reported to have been splits and disagreements in the local Liberal party with some elements having supported Sir Victor Horsley
Victor Horsley
Sir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley was an accomplished scientist and professor. He was born in Kensington, London. He was educated at Cranbrook School, Kent and studied medicine at University College London and in Berlin, Germany , and in the same year started his career as a house surgeon and...
, the eminent scientist and surgeon, as potential candidate over Yeo.
1918
There were boundary changes affecting Yeo’s constituency for the 1918 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
and Yeo was chosen to fight the new seat of South Poplar
Poplar South (UK Parliament constituency)
Poplar South was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Poplar district of the East End of London...
. He contested the seat as a Coalition Liberal, having presumably been granted the Coalition coupon
Coalition Coupon
The ‘Coalition Coupon’, often referred to as ‘the coupon’, refers to the letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the United Kingdom general election, 1918 endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory in...
. He was opposed by Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and by a candidate from the National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers
The National Federation of Discharged and Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers was a British veterans organisation.The organisation was founded in January 1917 by various London-based veterans groups opposed to the Review of Exceptions Act, which made it possible for people invalided out of the armed...
, although this candidate, Captain Wilfrid Allen, is also described in other sources as a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
Yeo held the seat with nearly 50% of the poll.
At the 1922 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, Yeo fought South Poplar as a National Liberal
National Liberal Party (UK, 1922)
The National Liberal Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1922 to 1923. It was led by David Lloyd George and was, at the time, separate to the original Liberal Party.-History:...
supporting outgoing prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. In a straight fight with Labour’s Samuel March however he lost the seat by the wide margin of 4,338 votes.
1923-28
Yeo tried to get back into Parliament at the 1923 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
when he stood for the reunified Liberal Party at the Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
seat of Kettering
Kettering (UK Parliament constituency)
Kettering is a county constituency in Northamptonshire which returns one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
but he came bottom of the poll in a three-cornered contest. He did not stand for Parliament again but at the time of his death he was Liberal candidate for Romford
Romford (UK Parliament constituency)
Romford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Other appointments
Yeo took a strong interest in education being chairman for over 20 years under the auspices of the London School BoardLondon School Board
The School Board for London was an institution of local government and the first directly elected body covering the whole of London....
of local schools in St Leonard’s Road, Hay Currie, and Bromley Hall Road Groups. He also served as Chairman of Lord Buxton
Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton
Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton GCMG, PC was a British Liberal politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.-Background and education:...
’s Committee dealing with distress during the transport workers’ dispute of 1912 and as Chairman of the London County Council Mental Hospital at Claybury
Claybury Asylum
Claybury Asylum was a psychiatric hospital at Woodford Bridge in Essex. It was opened in 1893 making it the fifth London County Council Asylum.-History:...
. He played a part in getting the government to bring in a Bill to prevent increase of rents during War and six months thereafter and to bring in regulations for Tribunals dealing with one-man businesses to protect the livelihoods of self-employed men who were being conscripted. Yeo was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and served for a while as Vice-Chairman of the Tower Bench.
Yeo also supported a campaign led by the Duchess of Hamilton
Nina Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton
Nina Mary Benita Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton . She was born in Salisbury, the daughter of Major Robert Poore, married Alfred Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Hamilton and died in London....
for slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
reform and spoke at a number of public meetings to demand an end to what were described as cruel methods of slaughtering animals for food and calling for the compulsory introduction of mechanically operated humane-killers.
Asked to recall his proudest moment in government or public service, Sir Alfred said this had been when the old age pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
was raised from 7/6d to ten shillings largely as a consequence of his efforts.
Honours
Yeo was knighted for public service in the New Year’s Honours List of 1918.Publications
Yeo authored a number of political pamphlets including pamphlets, Trade After the War; On Character and The Cross and the Crossways.Death
Yeo was taken ill in December 1927, suffering from what was described as a nervous breakdownMental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. His condition deteriorated over the following months and he died at his home at Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea is a suburb of Southend-on-Sea, a seaside resort in the East of England and unitary authority in Essex. It is situated on the northern bank of the Thames Estuary and about 34 miles east of London.-Geography:...
on 14 April 1928.