Edward Jenkins (MP)
Encyclopedia
John Edward Jenkins known as Edward Jenkins or J. Edward Jenkins, was a barrister, author and Liberal Party
politician in the United Kingdom. He was best known as an author of satirical
novels, and also served as the Agent-General of Canada, encouraging emigration to the new Dominion
. He contested several parliamentary elections, but won only one, and sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1880.
, Mysore, India, the eldest son of Rev. Dr. John Jenkins (1813–1898), a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society from 1837 to 1841. His father moved to Canada in 1847 as a Methodist minister, before becoming a Presbyterian minister in Philadelphia in 1853, and minister of a Presbyterian Church in Montreal
, Canada, from 1865. His mother was Harriet Shepstone of Mysore.
Edward's uncles included David James Jenkins
, the MP for Penryn and Falmouth, and Rev. Ebenezer Jenkins, the chairman of Wesleyan Indian Missions.
He was educated in Montreal at the High School and at McGill University
, and then at the University of Pennsylvania
. He then moved to London, where he studied law with a conveyancer
, Mr. Raymond, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn
in the Michaelmas term
, 1864. He practised as a barrister on the Home Circuit.
Ginx's Baby: his birth and other misfortunes, published in 1870. The book described a child born in poverty who became the victim of rival philanthropists.
He wrote at least two other satires, Lord Bantam (1871) and Barney Geoghegan, M.P (1872). The review of Lord Bantam in The Times
newspaper in 1872 describes a political novel telling the story of a young nobleman of radical politics who enters Parliament supporting a redistribution of land and power, but who promptly abandons his radicalism when he inherits his father's peerage and large estates. The reviewer denounces the book as a vehicle for "Red Republican opinions", and remarks that the author wants the reader to conclude that "the working classes need never expect to derive any permanent advancement from the Radical professions of young lords who have such a stake in the existing institutions of the country". Jenkins supported the campaigns of the Warwickshire
agricultural trade unionist Joseph Arch
, and his novel Little Hodge (1873) dealt with the plight of landless labourers in England.
As well as the satires, Jenkins wrote a series of novels and many non-fiction-works, most of them relating to Canada.
He travelled in 1870 to Guiana
on behalf of the English Benevolent Society, to "report of the condition of the coolie
s" (i.e. indentured labourers). His report was published in 1871, and resulted in the improvement of their conditions.
Jenkins stood for Parliament
at two by-elections in the 1870s: Truro in September 1871, and Dundee
in August 1873.
He was elected a Member of Parliament
(MP) for Dundee
at the 1874 general election
The city was such a Liberal stronghold that its two seats were contested by four Liberals and one Conservative
, and the lone Conservative came last of the five candidates. Jenkins won the seat despite being in America during the election
in February, on a lecture tour, when he was appointed as the agent-general of the Dominion of Canada
. His duties in that role were clarified to the Canadian House of Commons in May 1874 by the Canadian Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie
, who said that Jenkins would have surveillance of the Canadian emigration business in London, would occasionally be asked to attended to other business of a confidential nature. He would also be "expected to give some little attention to Canadian gentlemen sojourning in London". He held the post for two years.
On his return to Dundee in March, he addressed a meeting of electors in the Kinnaird Hall, Dundee. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended, with hundreds turned away because the hall was full.
Jenkins did not contest the 1880 general election
, but stood unsuccessfully at a by-election in January 1881 for Edinburgh
. He contested Dundee again at the 1885 general election
as a Conservative, but was unsuccessful.
He died in London on 4 June 1910, having been paralysed
for some years.
In 1867 he married Hannah Matilda Johnstone, a daughter of William Johnson, of Belfast
. They had five sons and two daughters.
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 in the United Kingdom. He was best known as an author of satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
novels, and also served as the Agent-General of Canada, encouraging emigration to the new Dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
. He contested several parliamentary elections, but won only one, and sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1880.
Early life
Jenkins was born in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Mysore, India, the eldest son of Rev. Dr. John Jenkins (1813–1898), a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society from 1837 to 1841. His father moved to Canada in 1847 as a Methodist minister, before becoming a Presbyterian minister in Philadelphia in 1853, and minister of a Presbyterian Church in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada, from 1865. His mother was Harriet Shepstone of Mysore.
Edward's uncles included David James Jenkins
David James Jenkins
David James Jenkins was a Welsh shipowner and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1886....
, the MP for Penryn and Falmouth, and Rev. Ebenezer Jenkins, the chairman of Wesleyan Indian Missions.
He was educated in Montreal at the High School and at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, and then at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He then moved to London, where he studied law with a conveyancer
Conveyancer
In Commonwealth countries, a conveyancer is a specialist lawyer who specialises in the legal aspects of buying and selling real property, or conveyancing. A conveyancer can also be a solicitor, licensed conveyancer, or a fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives.In the United Kingdom,...
, Mr. Raymond, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in the Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term
Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...
, 1864. He practised as a barrister on the Home Circuit.
Career
Jenkins made his name as the author of the satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
Ginx's Baby: his birth and other misfortunes, published in 1870. The book described a child born in poverty who became the victim of rival philanthropists.
He wrote at least two other satires, Lord Bantam (1871) and Barney Geoghegan, M.P (1872). The review of Lord Bantam 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...
newspaper in 1872 describes a political novel telling the story of a young nobleman of radical politics who enters Parliament supporting a redistribution of land and power, but who promptly abandons his radicalism when he inherits his father's peerage and large estates. The reviewer denounces the book as a vehicle for "Red Republican opinions", and remarks that the author wants the reader to conclude that "the working classes need never expect to derive any permanent advancement from the Radical professions of young lords who have such a stake in the existing institutions of the country". Jenkins supported the campaigns of the Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
agricultural trade unionist Joseph Arch
Joseph Arch
Joseph Arch was an English politician, born in Barford, Warwickshire who played a key role in what Karl Marx called the "Great awakening" of the agricultural workers in 1872.-Biography:...
, and his novel Little Hodge (1873) dealt with the plight of landless labourers in England.
As well as the satires, Jenkins wrote a series of novels and many non-fiction-works, most of them relating to Canada.
He travelled in 1870 to Guiana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
on behalf of the English Benevolent Society, to "report of the condition of the coolie
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
s" (i.e. indentured labourers). His report was published in 1871, and resulted in the improvement of their conditions.
Jenkins stood for Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
at two by-elections in the 1870s: Truro in September 1871, and Dundee
Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)
Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....
in August 1873.
He was elected a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Dundee
Dundee (UK Parliament constituency)
Dundee was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1950, when it was split into Dundee East and Dundee West....
at the 1874 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1874
-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
The city was such a Liberal stronghold that its two seats were contested by four Liberals and one 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...
, and the lone Conservative came last of the five candidates. Jenkins won the seat despite being in America during the election
in February, on a lecture tour, when he was appointed as the agent-general of the Dominion of Canada
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. His duties in that role were clarified to the Canadian House of Commons in May 1874 by the Canadian Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie
Alexander Mackenzie, PC , a building contractor and newspaper editor, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.-Biography:...
, who said that Jenkins would have surveillance of the Canadian emigration business in London, would occasionally be asked to attended to other business of a confidential nature. He would also be "expected to give some little attention to Canadian gentlemen sojourning in London". He held the post for two years.
On his return to Dundee in March, he addressed a meeting of electors in the Kinnaird Hall, Dundee. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended, with hundreds turned away because the hall was full.
Jenkins did not contest the 1880 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, but stood unsuccessfully at a by-election in January 1881 for Edinburgh
Edinburgh (UK Parliament constituency)
Edinburgh was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until 1885. Originally a single member constituency, representation was increased to two members in 1832...
. He contested Dundee again at the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
as a Conservative, but was unsuccessful.
He died in London on 4 June 1910, having been paralysed
Paralysed
Paralysed or Paralyzed may refer to:*the state of paralysis, the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups- In music :*"Paralyzed" *"Paralysed", a song by Gang of Four from their 1981 album Solid Gold...
for some years.
Family
Like his father, Jenkins was a Presbyterian.In 1867 he married Hannah Matilda Johnstone, a daughter of William Johnson, of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. They had five sons and two daughters.