Evelyn Hubbard

The Honourable Evelyn Hubbard (18 March 1852 – 24 August 1934) was a British businessman and Conservative politician.

Life

He was the fifth son of John Gellibrand Hubbard (later Baron Addington), a director and governor of the Bank of England, and Member of Parliament for the City of London.^[1]

He was educated at Radley School and matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1870, graduating B.A. in 1874, and M.A. in 1878.^[2] He entered the family business of John Hubbard & Co., Russia Merchants in 1875.^[1][3] He subsequently became the last governor of the Russia Company, a director of the Bank of England and a member of the lieutenancy commission for the City of London.^[1]

The family home was Addington in Buckinghamshire and when a vacancy occurred for the parliamentary constituency of North Buckinghamshire in 1889, he was chosen as the Conservative candidate.^[4] He failed to hold the seat for the Conservatives, and was defeated by his Liberal opponent, Edmund Hope Verney by 208 votes. Two years later there was another by-election in the constituency, and he again stood in the Conservative interest. He was again defeated, with the new Liberal MP increasing the majority to 381 votes.^[5]

In the meantime, Hubbard had moved to London, and in March 1892 he was elected an alderman on London County Council, as a member of the Conservative-backed Moderate Party.^[6] He held the seat until 1898.^[7]

In 1894 Hubbard was chosen to fight Plymouth at the next general election in 1895.^[8] Later that year the Conservative MP for Brixton, George Osborne succeeded to his father's title as Duke of Leeds. Hubbard was the selected to contest the resulting by-election by the Brixton Conservative Association.^[9] The by-election was held on 30 January 1896 and was elected as MP with a majority over his Radical opponent of 2,362 votes.^[10] He retired from the Commons in March 1900, on the advice of his doctors.^[11]

He was a great supporter of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, helping the society to gain its royal charter, and serving as its honorary treasurer.^[12]

He married Eveline Portal in 1881, and they had three sons. He died suddenly while on holiday at Harrogate, Yorkshire in August 1934, aged 82.^[1]