William Alexander Mackinnon (Dunwich MP)
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William Alexander Mackinnon (2 August 1789 – 30 April 1870) was a British politician.
Life
He was born in Broadstairs, Kent in 1789 and educated at St John's College, Cambridge.[1][2]
A Whig, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunwich from 1819 to 1820, for Lymington from 1831 to 1832 and from 1835 to 1852, and for Rye from 1853 to 1865.[3]
At the 1852 general election he was defeated in Lymington,[4] but his son William had been elected in Rye. However, a petition was lodged against the younger Mackinnon's election, and in May 1853 it was declared void. The elder Mackinnon successfully contested the resulting by-election on 23 May 1853.[5][6] On his retirement in 1865 the seat was taken by his son, Lauchlan Bellingham. Again, treating was alleged.[7]
He was a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant of Middlesex.[8] Some of his parliamentary work concerned animal welfare and in 1858 he chaired the AGM of the RSPCA,[9] having been appointed vice chair in 1837.[10]
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1827, submitting a paper on the absorption of atmospheric moisture by the state of chalk and limestone. [1] He was also invested as a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He was chairman of the Furness Iron and Steel Co at its inauguration in 1866. His three sons were also shareholders. He was a director of the Elan Valley Railway[11] He wrote three books, "Thoughts on the currency question", Public Opinion" and "The history of civilisation"[12]
He succeeded in 1809 as the 33rd Chief of the Clan Mackinnon.[8]
Marriage and children
He married Emma Mary Palmer, daughter of Joseph Palmer, of Palmerstown, Co Mayo and Rush House, co Dublin; they had three sons and three daughters. Emma Mary died in November 1835 and W A Mackinnon inherited Joseph Palmer's estates on his death.[13] The inheritance included the estates of Greenscoe and Greenhaume near Dalton in Furness.[14]
The eldest son, William Alexander, was also an M.P.,.[15]
The daughter Louisa Harriet married Thomas Cochrane, 11th Earl of Dundonald.
The second son, Lauchlan Bellingham 1814 - 1877 was a Royal Navy captain and wrote three books.[16][16]
The third son was Major General Daniel Henry Mackinnon 1814 - 1884. He wrote "Military Service and Adventures in the Far East; Including Sketches of the Campaigns Against the Afghans in 1839 and the Sikhs in 1845-6[17]
Notes
- ^ a b "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ "Mackinnon, William Alexander (MKNN799WA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Liverpool Mercury 6 September 1864
- ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 196. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- ^ Craig, op cit., page 260
- ^ "No. 6285". The London Gazette. 27 May 1853.
- ^ Glasgow Herald 12 Apr 1866
- ^ a b "The Peerage". Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ Morning Post 27 May 1858
- ^ Stamford Mercury – Friday 5 May 1837
- ^ Morning Post 29 May 1868
- ^ Obituary in The Examiner 7 May 1870
- ^ Obituary, Bury and Norwich Post - Tuesday 03 May 1870
- ^ Cumbria Records office, Barrow Box BDKF7
- ^ "Clan Mackinnon". Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ a b http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=9928208362&searchurl=an%3DLauchlan%2BBellingham%2BMackinnon%26amp%3Bsts%3Dt
- ^ http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?an=Daniel+Henry+Mackinnon&sts=t
References
- Goodwin, Gordon (1893). Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co. . In
External links
Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Alexander Mackinnon
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/mackinnon-william-1784-1870
- 1789 births
- 1870 deaths
- People from Broadstairs
- Deputy Lieutenants of Middlesex
- Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1818–20
- UK MPs 1831–32
- UK MPs 1835–37
- UK MPs 1837–41
- UK MPs 1841–47
- UK MPs 1847–52
- UK MPs 1852–57
- UK MPs 1857–59
- UK MPs 1859–65
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Clan Mackinnon
- Whig (British political party) MPs
- UK MP for England stubs