James Cochran Stevenson was an English industrialist at Tyneside and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1895.
Background
Stevenson was born at Glasgow, the son of James Stevenson, a merchant of Glasgow and his wife Jane Stewart Shannan, daughter of Alexander Shannan, merchant of Greenock. The family moved to Jarrow in 1844 when his father became a partner in the Jarrow Chemical Company which was an alkali works. After his father retired in 1854, James managed the company with one of his father"s partners, John Williamson.
Education
He was educated at High School, Glasgow (where he was gold medalist in junior and senior mathematical classes), and at Glasgow University.
Career
Under their control it became the second largest chemical company in the United Kingdom. Stevenson took an active part in civic life, campaigning for improvements in sanitation, road-widening, river Tyne development schemes and more. He was a Commissioner appointed by the Tyne Improvement Acting, and chairman of the Tyne Pilotage Commissioners. He was mayor of South Shields and a Justice of the Peace for County Durham and for South Shields.
He was also for a time the owner of the Shields Gazette.
He held the seat he retired from Parliament at the 1895 general election. Stevenson died at the age of 79.
Stevenson was a religious man with a strong sense of public duty and commitment to the local area, but his chemical works, using the Leblanc process, caused pollution and imposed harsh working conditions on employees, despite being the first Tyneside factory to offer a Saturday half holiday. Stevenson married Elisa Ramsay Anderson, daughter of Review
James Anderson, Doctor of Divinity, of Morpeth in 1855.
Another daughter Louisa married Sir Kenneth Skelton Anderson, 1st Baronet of Ardtaraig (1866–1942), the son of the Review Alexander Anderson and Mary Gavin of Aberdeenshire. He was the owner of the Orient Steam Navigation Company.
He had many siblings who included Flora Stevenson, J. J. Stevenson and Louisa Stevenson.
Membership
20th United Kingdom Parliament. 21st United Kingdom Parliament. 22nd United Kingdom Parliament.
23rd United Kingdom Parliament.
24th United Kingdom Parliament. 25th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the 3rd Durham Artillery Volunteers, a member of General Council of Glasgow and a Fellow of the Institute of Chemistry.
At the 1868 general election Stevenson was elected as the Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for South Shields.