William Hewins

{{Short description|British economist and Conservative politician}} {{Use British English|date=July 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox economist | name = William Hewins | school_tradition = | color = | image = William Hewins.jpg | image_size = | caption = William Hewins circa 1900 | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1865|5|11}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1931|11|17|1865|5|11}} | death_place = | field = Economics | influences = | influenced = | contributions = }} '''William Albert Samuel Hewins''' (11 May 1865 – 17 November 1931) was a British economist and Conservative politician.<ref name=spartacus>{{cite web|title=William Hewins|url=http://www.spartacus-educational.com/TUlewins.htm|work=British History > History of Socialism|publisher=Spartacus Educational|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref> In 1895, he was appointed by Sidney Webb as the first Director of the London School of Economics, a post he held until 1903.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2015/10/21/lses-first-director-william-hewins/ |title=LSE's first Director – William Hewins}}</ref>

==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.<ref name=spartacus />

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.<ref name=gollin>{{cite book|last=Gollin|first=Alfred M.| author-link = Alfred Gollin |title=No Longer an Island: Britain and the Wright Brothers, 1902–1909|year=1984|publisher=Stanford University Press|location=Stanford, CA|isbn=978-0804712651|page=231|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xT2rAAAAIAAJ}}</ref>

In later life Hewins wrote articles <ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle= Economics |volume= 08 | pages = 899–910 | last1= Hewins |first1= William Albert Samuel |author-link= William Hewins}}</ref> for the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and the ''Dictionary of National Biography''.<ref>{{cite wikisource|title=Author:William Albert Samuel Hewins}}</ref> He also published among other works ''Trade in Balance'' (1924), ''Empire Restored'' (1927), and the ''Apologia of an Imperialist'' (1929).<ref name=spartacus />

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.<ref name=dau>{{Cite ODNB|title=Hewins, (Margaret) Nancy (1902–1978), theatre director and actress|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-56707|access-date=2020-10-31|year = 2004|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/56707}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == {{wikisource|works=or}} * {{Hansard-contribs | mr-william-hewins | William Hewins }}

{{s-start}} {{s-edu}} {{s-new | office }} {{s-ttl | title = Director of the London School of Economics | years = 1895–1903}} {{s-aft | after = Halford Mackinder}} {{s-par|uk}} {{succession box | title = Member of Parliament for Hereford | years = 1912–1918 | before = John Arkwright | after = Charles Pulley }} {{s-off}} {{succession box | title = Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies | years = 1917–1919 | before = Arthur Steel-Maitland | after = Leo Amery }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewins, William Albert Samuel}} Category:1865 births Category:1931 deaths Category:British economists Category:People associated with the London School of Economics Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:UK MPs 1910–1918