Sir Evan Davies Jones (1859-1949), 1st Baronet, of Topham, Jones and Railton, was a Welsh civil engineer and politician.
1859 April 18th. Born the son of a sea captain, he was brought up in Fishguard and studied at the University of Bristol. He qualified as a civil engineer and was involved in the building of the Severn Tunnel and the Manchester Ship Canal.
He became a partner in Topham, Jones and Railton, a successful engineering firm that obtained many government contracts and worked on the Aswan Dam among other projects.
Jones served in World War I as a major in the Royal Engineers; two of his three sons were killed in the war.
1916 '...Mr E. D. Jones is a civil engineer by profession, He was the assistant resident engineer on the construction of the Severn Tunnel, on the staff of Sir John Hawkshaw and Mr Richardson, having the English side of the tunnel and approach works under his charge. On the completion of this work he was sent out by the firm of Sir John Hawkshaw on the staff of the survey of the River Plate and Buenos Ayres, which was the preliminary to the construction of the extensive system of docks now in operation there, On his return from South America he joined the staff of the late Mr T. A. Walker, the contractor for the Severn Tunnel, the Barry Docks, and the Manchester Ship Canal, and was for some years engaged on the construction of the Barry Docks, in the later period of which he was in charge of the work as Mr Walker's agent...'[1]
From 1917 he was Petrol Controller and Commissioner for Dyes under the Board of Trade, and was created a baronet in the same year. As a Coalition Liberal, he was MP for Pembrokeshire from December 1918 to October 1922.
In 1918 he became Chairman of the Road Transport Board, and in 1919 he was appointed Controller of Coal Mines.
1922 Bart., D.L., M.P., M.Inst.C.E., Civil Engineer, II, Great George Street, London, S.W.I. Successively Student, Associate Member, and Member Institution of Civil Engineers. Pupil of late Chas. Richardson, M.Inst.C.E., Bristol; Assistant Resident Engineer, Severn Tunnel, for Sir John Hankshaw; Survey work, South America, for Hankshaw, Son & Hayter; Permanent Director, Topham, Jones & Railton, Ltd., Westminster. Chief Works: Estuary section, Manchester Ship Canal; Admiralty harbour and docks, Gibraltar; Cardiff, new docks; Swansea, new docks; Southampton, new docks; Singapore, new docks. D.L., and J.P., Co. Pembroke, Alderman, Pembroke County Council. War Services.—Major, Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, and Member of Committee of War Office for Organization of Civilian Labour. Dyes Commissioner, Petrol Controller, Chairman of Road Transport Board, Controller of Coal Mines, Board of Trade, 1917-9.
In 1926 he became chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, and was both High Sheriff (1911) and Lord Lieutenant (1932) of his native county of Pembrokeshire. He was involved in the administration of the Church in Wales, National Library of Wales and University of Wales at various times.
1949 April 20th. Died.
1949 Obituary [2]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ South Wales Daily News - Friday 08 December 1916
- ↑ 1949 Institution of Civil Engineers: Obituaries
- [1] Wikipedia