William Sanford Evans

Who was William Sanford Evans?

William Sanford Evans was a Manitoba politician. Between 1933 and 1936, he was the leader of that province's Conservative Party caucus.

Evans was born in Spencerville, Ontario, the son of Rev. J.S. Evans and Mary Jane Vaux. He was educated at the Collegiate Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Victoria University and Columbia University. He subsequently moved to Manitoba.

Evans was active in the publishing industry of his new province, founding the Winnipeg Telegram and writing a book on Canadian Imperialism during the Second Boer War. In 1920, he co-founded a publishing firm specializing in grain industry news. He married Mary Irene Gurney, a noted pianist, in 1900.

Evans ran for the federal Conservatives in Winnipeg in 1904, but was defeated by Liberal David Bole. He was elected Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1909, and served in that position until 1911.

Evans was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1922, leading the Conservative party list in Winnipeg. He was re-elected in 1927 and 1932, topping the Winnipeg ballot on the latter occasion. Evans was chosen as Conservative party parliamentary leader following the resignation of Col. Fawcett G. Taylor in 1933.