William Evans-Gordon
Encyclopedia
Major Sir William Eden Evans-Gordon (1857 – 31 October 1913) was a British
Conservative Party
politician and Member of Parliament
(MP). As a soldier he had served on the North-West Frontier
. He was originally commissioned into the 67th Foot, but later transferred to the Madras Staff Corps and was attached to the Indian Government.
As MP for Stepney
Evans-Gordon represented a constituency that saw a lot of immigration
during the late 19th century and early 20th century and as a result he became known as one of the most vocal critics at the time, commenting that 'a storm is brewing which, if it is allowed to burst, will have deplorable results'. First elected to Parliament in the 1900 general election
, Evans-Gordon had campaigned on a platform of limiting immigration from Eastern Europe
, notably that of Jews, many of whom had moved to his constituency. His campaign proved a success as he won the seat by overturning what had previously been a Liberal
majority. Once elected he continued his theme of anti-immigrant rhetoric, claiming in 1902 that 'not a day passes but English families are ruthlessly turned out to make room for foreign invaders. The rates are burdened with the education of thousands of foreign children.'
Evans-Gordon, with the support of the British Brothers League
with which he co-operated closely, was instrumental in setting up a Royal Commission
on immigration to which he was appointed chairman. He had travelled extensively in Eastern Europe and had recorded evidence of Jewish settlements that he presented to the Commission, claiming that the hardships the immigrants had told of were exaggerated. His book on the subject, The Alien Immigrant (1903), which included extensive maps of his travels and reports of his findings, was used as a central piece of evidence in the inquiry. This resulted in the Aliens Act 1905
, which placed restrictions on Eastern European immigration.
Evans-Gordon continued to campaign for further anti-immigration legislation, seeking re-election in 1906
with the slogan 'England for the English and Major Gordon for Stepney', borrowing the slogan of the BBL. Despite this Evans-Gordon's anti-Semitism
has been questioned as he was a supporter of Zionism
and kept up regular correspondence with Chaim Weizmann
who would later write of him:
On 1 May 1907 Evans-Gordon resigned from the Commons
and retired from politics.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
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...
politician and 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). As a soldier he had served on the North-West Frontier
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
. He was originally commissioned into the 67th Foot, but later transferred to the Madras Staff Corps and was attached to the Indian Government.
As MP for Stepney
Stepney (UK Parliament constituency)
Stepney was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Stepney 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, elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
Evans-Gordon represented a constituency that saw a lot of immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
during the late 19th century and early 20th century and as a result he became known as one of the most vocal critics at the time, commenting that 'a storm is brewing which, if it is allowed to burst, will have deplorable results'. First elected to Parliament in the 1900 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
, Evans-Gordon had campaigned on a platform of limiting immigration from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, notably that of Jews, many of whom had moved to his constituency. His campaign proved a success as he won the seat by overturning what had previously been a Liberal
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...
majority. Once elected he continued his theme of anti-immigrant rhetoric, claiming in 1902 that 'not a day passes but English families are ruthlessly turned out to make room for foreign invaders. The rates are burdened with the education of thousands of foreign children.'
Evans-Gordon, with the support of the British Brothers League
British Brothers League
The British Brothers' League was a British anti-immigration group that attempted to organise along paramilitary lines.The group was formed in 1902 in east London as a response to waves of immigration from Eastern Europe that had begun in 1880 and had seen an influx of eastern Europeans into the area...
with which he co-operated closely, was instrumental in setting up a Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on immigration to which he was appointed chairman. He had travelled extensively in Eastern Europe and had recorded evidence of Jewish settlements that he presented to the Commission, claiming that the hardships the immigrants had told of were exaggerated. His book on the subject, The Alien Immigrant (1903), which included extensive maps of his travels and reports of his findings, was used as a central piece of evidence in the inquiry. This resulted in the Aliens Act 1905
Aliens Act 1905
The Aliens Act 1905 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Act for the first time introduced immigration controls and registration, and gave the Home Secretary overall responsibility for immigration and nationality matters...
, which placed restrictions on Eastern European immigration.
Evans-Gordon continued to campaign for further anti-immigration legislation, seeking re-election in 1906
United Kingdom general election, 1906
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1906*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
with the slogan 'England for the English and Major Gordon for Stepney', borrowing the slogan of the BBL. Despite this Evans-Gordon's anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
has been questioned as he was a supporter of Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
and kept up regular correspondence with Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Weizmann
Chaim Azriel Weizmann, , was a Zionist leader, President of the Zionist Organization, and the first President of the State of Israel. He was elected on 1 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952....
who would later write of him:
Sir William Evans-Gordon had no particular anti-Jewish prejudices...he was sincerely ready to encourage any settlement of Jews almost anywhere in the British Empire but he failed to see why the ghettoes of London or Leeds should be made into a branch of the ghettoes of Warsaw and Pinsk
On 1 May 1907 Evans-Gordon resigned from the Commons
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
and retired from politics.