Edward Evans

Edward Evans CBE (11 January 1883 – 30 March 1960) was a teacher and Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. Noted for his work for and with deaf people and the blind, he entered the House of Commons in his sixties, and sat from 1945 to 1959.

Early life Evans was born in Manchester to Welsh parents. He was educated at Llanelli Science Schools and at St Paul's College in Cheltenham, before training as a teacher at the University of London. The Times newspaper had predicted that the sitting Conservative Party MP Pierse Loftus as "likely to be re-elected", but 62-year-old Evans had overturned a majority of 22% to become Lowestoft's first Labour MP. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for political and public services" in the King's Birthday Honours List 1949, and represented Lowestoft in the House of Commons for 14 years, until his defeat at the 1959 general election by the Conservative James Prior.

In the Commons, he was noted for his contributions relating to coastal erosion in East Anglia, chairing the All Party Coast Defence Committee, He was Chairman of the Labour Party's Fisheries Committee.

As well as being governor or committee-member of numerous bodies related to disability, he wrote A Manual Alphabet for the Deaf-blind and edited Braille Schools magazine. The Edward Evans Hall, which served as the Beccles Labour Club, now demolished was erected in his honour.

Family In November 1915, Evans married (Victoria) Evelyn Muir, daughter of Robert Muir. She died in 1953, after the couple had had two sons.

He died at his home in Pinner on 30 March 1960, aged 77.