Samuel Evans (Q65005)

Samuel Evans (1859-1935) was an educational pioneer, and chairman of the Crown Mine, Johannesburg, South Africa. He was born in Ruabon, Denbighshire, and attended Brookside School, Wrexham. From 1878 he worked as a journalist, and then, in 1883, became private secretary to Sir Edgar Vincent, advisor to the Egyptian Government. This ultimately resulted in him becoming the chief controller of the Egyptian Coast Guard Service, 1887, and then inspector-general of the Ottoman Bank, 1890. In 1897, he went to Johannesburg as Vincent's representative, and became a partner in Eckstein and Co., 1898, and chairman of the Crown Gold Mine, 1902. He contributed to the establishment of Witwatersrand University, and was made an honorary LL. D. of that university and the University of Wales. He wrote articles for Y Traethodydd and Llenor. In 1903 he married Katherine Manson and they had three children. He died in Johannesburg on 10 October 1935. H. Guy Edwards (fl. 1968-1969), of Sheffield, a second cousin of Samuel Evans, researched his life, accumulating copies of related material, and wrote a biography.