A Liverpool Exemplar - Sir Alfred Lewis Jones

Sir Alfred Lewis Jones was born on the 24th of February 1845, in Carmarthen, son of Daniel Jones and wife, Mary, who was the daughter of Henry Williams, rector of Llanedy, Carmarthenshire. The family moved to Liverpool when he was 2 years of age. Commencing his career at the age of twelve as a ship's apprentice with the African Steamship Company, he became a clerk in the firm of Fletcher and Parr, shipping agents and at the age of 14. As captain's boy, he made several voyages to the west coast of Africa before, at the age of twenty-six, becoming manager of the firm. Still ambitious, he borrowed money to purchase two or three small sailing vessels and started in the shipping business on his own account. The venture succeeded and he made additions to his fleet, but after a few years' successful trading, realizing that sailing ships were about to be superseded by steamers, he sold his vessels.

In 1891 he accepted the offer of a managerial position with the firm of Elder Dempster subject to them selling him a number of shares enabling him to acquire an initial interest in the business. He subsequently became one of the leading figures in the firm and played a major part in the shipping and general trade of the West African coast acquiring considerable territorial interests in West Africa and financial interests in many of the companies engaged in opening up and developing that part of the world. He also had a great share in restoring prosperity to the Canary Islands. At that time he also provided the necessary funds for the establishment of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 1898. The increase in the volume of trade between Britain and the West African coast in the latter half of the nineteenth century had resulted in a dramatic increase in patients suffering from tropical diseases such as malaria arriving in Britain. The Secretary of State for the Colonies, Joseph Chamberlain, was prompted to appeal for the provision of special instruction in Tropical Medicine for doctors employed in the Colonial Service. Alfred Lewis Jones answered his appeal at the Annual Dinner of the students of the Liverpool Royal Southern Hospital on the12th of November 1898. Recognising the serious threat posed by such diseases, not only to the wider community but also to his employees and to his shipping line's profits, Jones proposed to contribute £350 per annum for three years to the study of Tropical Medicine. His offer was accepted by William Adamson, the President of the hospital. Proposals were drawn up to form a Committee for the running of the Liverpool School of Tropical Diseases, later to become the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the School was formed. 

Situated in Pembroke Place, Liverpool

In 1900 he was invited by Joseph Chamberlain, then Secretary for the Colonies, to co-operate in developing the trade of the West Indies. In the early 1900s Alfred Jones had a monopoly on the Congo-Antwerp mail traffic as well as consular duties representing King Leopold’s Congo State in Liverpool and was described by W.T. Stead as the "Uncrowned King of West Africa". Alfred took the leading part in opening up a new line of communication with the West Indies, and in stimulating the Jamaica fruit trade and tourist traffic. He also developed the tourist trade in the Canary Islands and the banana industry there, bringing crop to England in what became known as "banana boats," and popularised it by first distributing it free for costermongers to sell. In the 1901 Birthday Honours list he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in recognition of services to the West African Colonies and to Jamaica.
He had been interested in cotton growing in West Africa and had even distributed cotton seed there which resulted in June 1902 in him being approached, and becoming the inaugural President of the British Cotton Growing Association. In June 1903 he also became chairman of the Liverpool Institute of Tropical Research, a president of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and a member of Mr. Chamberlain's tariff commission formed in 1904. In 1905 he was elected an honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. He was also the recipient of many foreign decorations.

Photograph and text by Jacqueline Banerjee 2009/11 ( see http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/frampton/49.html )

Sir Alfred died unmarried on 13 December 1909, leaving large charitable bequests. The Manchester Guardian of 17th December carried the following notification - 'The funeral of Sir Alfred Jones is to take place at 2pm this afternoon at Anfield Cemetery. At 12.30 there will be a memorial at Mossley Hill Church in which the Bishop of Liverpool Dr Chavasse will take part. A special train will leave Lime St. Station for Mossley Hill at 11.50 am and the 2pm train from Lime St. to Euston will call at Mossley Hill.

A main street in the Canary Islands, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is named after him and the statue shown above was unveiled at the Pier Head, Liverpool in 1913.

see also:- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2020/12/a-liverpool-exemplar-mary-ma-egerton.html