William Hewins

William Hewins
William Hewins circa 1900
Born	(1865-05-11)11 May 1865
Died	17 November 1931(1931-11-17) (aged 66)
Academic career
Field	Economics

William Albert Samuel Hewins (11 May 1865 – 17 November 1931) was a British economist and Conservative politician.^[1] In 1895, he was appointed by Sidney Webb as the first Director of the London School of Economics, a post he held until 1903.^[2]

Family and education

Hewins was the son of Samuel Hewins, an iron merchant. He was educated at Wolverhampton Grammar School and Pembroke College, University of Oxford. He graduated with a degree in mathematics and later worked as a university extension lecturer.

Politics

Hewins resigned from teaching to work for Joseph Chamberlain and his campaign for tariff reform. He unsuccessfully contested Shipley in 1910 and Middleton in 1912 but was successfully returned to Parliament for Hereford in a 1912 by-election. He served in the coalition government of David Lloyd George as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1917 to 1919. He retired from the House of Commons before the 1918 general election.^[1]

He was invited to represent Tory opinions as a member of the Coefficients dining club of social reformers, formed by Sidney and Beatrice Webb in 1902.^[3]

In later life Hewins wrote articles ^[4] for the Encyclopædia Britannica and the Dictionary of National Biography.^[5] He also published among other works Trade in Balance (1924), Empire Restored (1927), and the Apologia of an Imperialist (1929).^[1]

He died on 17 November 1931, at age 66.

Private life

He married Margaret Slater in 1892 and they had three children. Their daughter was Nancy Hewins who was a theatre director. She founded the first British all-woman set of players.^[6]

References

1. "William Hewins". British History > History of Socialism. Spartacus Educational. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
2. "LSE's first Director – William Hewins".
3. Gollin, Alfred M. (1984). No Longer an Island: Britain and the Wright Brothers, 1902–1909. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0804712651.
4. Hewins, William Albert Samuel (1911). "Economics" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 08 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 899–910.
5. Author:William Albert Samuel Hewins  – via Wikisource.
6. "Hewins, (Margaret) Nancy (1902–1978), theatre director and actress". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/56707. Retrieved 31 October 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by William Hewins

Educational offices
New office	Director of the London School of Economics 1895–1903	Succeeded by Halford Mackinder
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Arkwright	Member of Parliament for Hereford 1912–1918	Succeeded by Charles Pulley
Political offices
Preceded by Arthur Steel-Maitland	Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies 1917–1919	Succeeded by Leo Amery