Charles Hopkinson (1854-1920)
Charles Hopkinson (1854-1920)
Son of John Hopkinson senior and brother of Dr John Hopkinson
c. 1880 John Hopkinson (1824-1902) entered into business with his son (Mr. Charles Hopkinson, C.E.), as a consulting engineer, under the style of Messrs. John Hopkinson and Son.
After his father gave up active work, Charles entered into partnership with his eldest brother, Dr. John Hopkinson, F.R.S.
1898 On the death of John Hopkinson (1849 - 1898), Mr. Talbot entered into partnership with Messrs. Charles and Bertram Hopkinson, to carry on the consulting practice, as Hopkinsons and Talbot of London and Manchester.
1903 the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent
Director of the Linotype Co
1920 Obituary [1]
CHARLES HOPKINSON, the third son of the late Mr. Alderman John Hopkinson, M.I.Mech.E., was born in Manchester on 16th November 1854.
He was educated at the Owens College, Manchester, and joined his father in the old-established mechanical engineering business of Wren and Hopkinson; and after his father's retirement from the firm in 1881, he continued with him in practice as a Consulting Engineer.
Later on, after his father gave up active work, he entered into partnership with his eldest brother, the late Dr. John Hopkinson, F.R.S., Member of Council, I.Mech.E., and in conjunction with him became responsible for many large electric tramway and lighting schemes, including the Leeds tramways and the Newcastle tramways.
After the death of his brother in the Alpine accident of 1898, he took into partnership his nephew Bertram, subsequently Professor of Engineering at Cambridge, and his brother's assistant, the late Mr. E. Talbot, and the firm became Hopkinsons and Talbot.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1883 and acted as Honorary Local Secretary at the Manchester Summer Meeting of 1894. He contributed a Paper on "Pumping Plant for Condensing Water" at the Newcastle Meeting of 1902. He was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and joint author with his partners of a paper on "Electric Tramways" 1902, in which the Leeds and Newcastle systems are described.
He was a director for many years of the Carnforth Iron Co.; and of the Mazopil Copper Co., and was Chairman of the Sinai Mining Co., mining and working large deposits of manganese iron ore in the Sinai Peninsula.
He gave much of his time disinterestedly to public work, and for some years was an Alderman of the Lancashire County Council. As Chairman of the Building Committee of the Manchester Royal Infirmary from 1904 until its opening by King Edward in 1909, his ripe experience and judgment were invaluable in the construction of the large new hospital of 600 beds.
His death took place in Cambridge, after a brief illness, on 5th September 1920, in his sixty-sixth year.