View source for Evan Cotton

{{Short description|British politician, barrister, administrator, journalist, historian and writer}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Harry Evan Auguste Cotton 
| image       = HEA Cotton.jpg
| image_size  = 150px
| caption     = 
| birth_date  = 27 May 1868
| birth_place = [[Midnapore]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British Raj]]
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1939|3|7|1868|5|27|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Eastbourne]], England
| occupation  = Historian, author
| spouse      = Nora Grimley
}}
 
'''Harry Evan Auguste Cotton''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CIE}} (27 May 1868 – 7 March 1939),<ref name = "CottonWhoWho">{{Who's Who | id= U207926 | title=Cotton, Sir (Harry) Evan (Auguste) }}</ref> better known as '''Evan Cotton''' or '''H. E. A. Cotton''', was a [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] politician, [[barrister]], administrator, journalist, historian and writer.<ref name = "Ray">Ray, Nisith Ranjan Ray, Editor's Note in the book ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, pp. 1–4, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd. {{PD-notice}}</ref>

==Formative years==
The son of [[Henry John Stedman Cotton|Henry Cotton]],<ref name = "halhed" /> who presided over the 1904 session of the [[Indian National Congress]], and the Irish-born Mary Ryan, he was born at [[Midnapore]], where his father was then posted. He had his early schooling at Mount Liban School, Pau and then at [[Sherborne School]].<ref name = "Ray"/>

He held an open scholarship at [[Jesus College, Oxford]], where he obtained a second class in [[Literae Humaniores#Mods|Classics Honour Mods]], followed by [[British undergraduate degree classification|second class degrees]] in history and jurisprudence. He was [[called to the bar]] by [[Lincoln's Inn]].{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}}

==Professional life==
Cotton practised at [[Calcutta High Court]] from 1893 to 1908. He served as a member of [[Calcutta Municipal Corporation]].<ref name = "Ray"/>
He covered the [[Delhi Durbar]] of 1903 as a correspondent of the ''[[The Guardian|Manchester Guardian]]''. He subsequently served as the Kolkata correspondent of the ''[[Daily News (London)|Daily News]]''. He undertook the editorship of ''India'', the weekly organ of the British Committee of the Indian National Congress.  He served as President of the Bengal Legislative Council from 1922 to 1925.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/STATISTICAL%5Cwbengal.html
| title = West Bengal Legislative Assembly
| access-date = 29 July 2007
| publisher = legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in
| archive-date = 26 June 2007
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070626110846/http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/STATISTICAL%5Cwbengal.html
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
He was an active member of the Indian Historical Records Commission and was chairman from 1923 to 1925.{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}}

==Politics==
Evan returned to England in 1906 and joined the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]]. His father was himself a Liberal MP who sat for [[Nottingham East (UK Parliament constituency)|Nottingham East]] from 1906 to 1910. In January 1910, Evan contested the General Election at the Conservative seat of Dulwich;
[[Image:Dulwich1885.png|right|thumb|200px|Dulwich in the London area, showing boundaries used in 1910]]
{{Election box begin |
|title=General Election January 1910: [[Dulwich (UK Parliament constituency)|Dulwich]]
Electorate 16,478}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Conservative Party (UK)
|candidate  = [[Bonar Law]]
|votes      = 8,472
|percentage = 58.3
|change     = +3.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate  = '''Harry Evan Auguste Cotton'''
|votes      = 6,054
|percentage = 41.7
|change     = -3.0
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes      = 2,418
|percentage = 16.6
|change     = +6.0
}}
{{Election box turnout|
 |votes      = 
 |percentage = 88.2
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
  |winner     = Conservative Party (UK)
  |swing      = +3.0
}}
{{Election box end}}
In March 1910 he was elected as a Progressive Councillor to the [[London County Council]] representing [[Finsbury East (UK Parliament constituency)|Finsbury East]];
[[Image:FinsburyEast1885.png|right|thumb|200px|Finsbury East in the London area, showing boundaries used 1885–1918]]
{{Election box begin |
 |title=London County Council election, 1910: [[Finsbury East (UK Parliament constituency)|Finsbury East]]<ref name="London Municipal Notes, 1913">London Municipal Notes, 1913</ref>
Electorate 
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Progressive Party (London)
 |candidate = {{Y}} '''Henry Evan Auguste Cotton'''
 |votes = 2,026
 |percentage =27.9
 |change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Progressive Party (London)
 |candidate = {{Y}} [[George Masterman Gillett]]
 |votes = 2,020
 |percentage = 27.8
 |change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Municipal Reform Party
 |candidate =  Lord Hardwicke
 |votes = 1,616
 |percentage = 22.3
 |change =
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Municipal Reform Party
 |candidate = Rev. J Lewthwaite
 |votes =1,592
 |percentage =21.9
 |change =
}}
{{Election box majority|
 |votes = 
 |percentage = 
 |change =
}}
{{Election box gain with party link|
 |winner = Progressive Party (London)
 |loser = Municipal Reform Party
 |swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
The Progressives were the local government arm of the Liberal Party. In March 1913 he was re-elected to the LCC;{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}}
{{Election box begin |
 |title=London County Council election, 1913: [[Finsbury East (UK Parliament constituency)|Finsbury East]]<ref name="London Municipal Notes, 1913"/>
Electorate 6,498
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Progressive Party (London)
 |candidate = {{Y}} '''[[George Masterman Gillett]]'''
 |votes = 2,037
 |percentage = 26.2
 |change =-1.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Progressive Party (London)
 |candidate = {{Y}} '''Henry Evan Auguste Cotton'''
 |votes = 2,026
 |percentage =26.1
 |change =-1.8
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Municipal Reform Party
 |candidate =  [[Eustace Widdrington Morrison-Bell]]
 |votes = 1,866
 |percentage = 24.0
 |change =+1.7
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
 |party = Municipal Reform Party
 |candidate = [[William Perring|William George Perring]]
 |votes =1,837
 |percentage =23.7
 |change =+1.8
}}
{{Election box majority|
 |votes = 
 |percentage = 
 |change =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
 |winner = Progressive Party (London)
 |swing =
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
 |winner = Progressive Party (London)
 |swing =
}}
{{Election box end}}
In July 1918, when a vacancy occurred due to the death of a Liberal MP, for the parliamentary seat of Finsbury East. Cotton was an obvious candidate to defend the seat for the Liberal Party. Due to the wartime electoral truce, he did not face an official Unionist Party opponent and was comfortably elected;{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}}
[[File:Evan_Cotton.jpg|thumb|right]]
{{Election box begin |
|title=[[1918 Finsbury East by-election]]: 16 July 1918
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate  = [[H.E.A. Cotton|Harry Evan Auguste Cotton]]
|votes      = 1,156
|percentage = 59.9
|change     = +8.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Independent (politician)
|candidate  = Capt. H.S. Spencer
|votes      = 576
|percentage = 29.8
|change     = n/a
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Independent (politician)
|candidate  = A.S. Belsher
|votes      = 199
|percentage = 10.3
|change     = n/a
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes      = 580
|percentage = 30.1
|change     = 
}}
{{Election box turnout|
 |votes      = 
 |percentage = 38.7
 |change     = 
}}
{{Election box hold with party link|
  |winner     = Liberal Party (UK) 
  |swing      = N/A
}}
{{Election box end}}
Following boundary changes, Evan's Finsbury East seat was merged with the Unionist seat of Finsbury Central to form a new Finsbury constituency. The Coalition Government chose to publicly endorse the Unionist candidate who was the sitting MP for the old Central seat. This endorsement made Evan's prospects difficult and after only 5 months as an MP he was defeated;{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}}
[[Image:Finsbury1918.png|right|thumb|200px|Finsbury in the County of London, showing boundaries used in 1918]]
{{Election box begin |
|title=General Election 1918: [[Finsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Finsbury]]
Electorate 34,873}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Coalition Conservative
|candidate  = [[Martin Archer-Shee]]
|votes      = 8,782
|percentage = 63.8
|change     = n/a
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link|
|party      = Liberal Party (UK)
|candidate  = '''Harry Evan Auguste Cotton'''
|votes      = 4,981
|percentage = 36.2
|change     = n/a
}}
{{Election box majority|
|votes      = 3,801
|percentage = 27.6
|change     = n/a
}}
{{Election box turnout|
 |votes      = 13,763
 |percentage = 39.5
 |change     = n/a
}}
{{Election box win
  |winner     = Coalition Conservative
  |swing      = n/a
}}
{{Election box end}}
In 1919 he did not defend his Finsbury East seat on the London County Council as after the election he was appointed as an Alderman.{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}}

==Estimate of the person==
In all his activities, his primary concern was for India, a country served by four generations in the family.{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}} He provided strong support to the [[Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms]] and served on an advisory committee at the India Office in connection with the 1919 Act.{{Citation needed|date= May 2022}} He was pivot of a small group that supported reforms. However, the changing political environment dampened his spirits. He later became a severe critic of the constitutional changes that led to the [[Round Table Conferences (India)|Round Table Conference]].<ref name = "Times">Obituary in ''[[The Times]]'', 8 March 1939, p. 18</ref>

==Marriage==
In 1896, he married Nora, daughter of William H. Grimley of Bengal ICS. They had a daughter.<ref name = "Times"/>

==Works==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
''Calcutta: Old and New'', ''The Century in India 1800–1900'', ''Hartly House, Calcutta'', ''Murray's Handbook of India, Burma and Ceylon'' (13th and 14th editions)

==See also==
* [[List of United Kingdom MPs with the shortest service]]

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="halhed">{{cite web|url=http://www.halhed.com/t4r/getperson.php?personID=I3072&tree=tree1|work=Halhed genealogy & family trees|title=Henry John Stedman Cotton 1845 – 1915|access-date=19 February 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007180636/http://www.halhed.com/t4r/getperson.php?personID=I3072&tree=tree1|archive-date=7 October 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
}}

==Sources==
*''Who's Who of British members of parliament, Volume II 1886–1918'', edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press: 1978)

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Joseph Allen Baker]] }}
{{s-ttl
 | title  = Member of Parliament for [[East Finsbury (UK Parliament constituency)|East Finsbury]]
 | years  = [[1918 Finsbury East by-election]] – 1918 General Election
}}
{{s-non | reason = constituency abolished }}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cotton, Harry Evan Auguste}}
[[Category:1868 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Sherborne School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford]]
[[Category:British barristers]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress]]
[[Category:Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kolkata]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1910–1918]]
[[Category:Members of London County Council]]
[[Category:Progressive Party (London) politicians]]
[[Category:People from Paschim Medinipur district]]
[[Category:Nathaniel Cotton family]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]