Background
Jenkins was the son of John Jenkins of Haverfordwest and his wife Mary Evans daughter of John Evans.
Jenkins was the son of John Jenkins of Haverfordwest and his wife Mary Evans daughter of John Evans.
He was educated at Teignmouth Grammar School.
He served for several years in the merchant navy and in 1854 and 1855 commanded a troop ship in the Baltic. In 1860, he founded the firm of Jenkins & Company in London which began owning ships in 1861 and sailed mainly to India and the Far East. He contested Harwich at the 1868 general election, without success.
He held the seat until the 1886 general election, when he was defeated by the Conservative Party candidate William Cavendish-Bentinck.
Jenkins died at the age of 66. Jenkins married firstly Bessie Howe, daughter of Review
John Howe of Cork, in 1851 and secondly Alice Nash of Malvern Wells in 1877.
21st United Kingdom Parliament. 22nd United Kingdom Parliament]
At the 1874 general election Jenkins was elected as a Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Penryn and Falmouth.