Joseph Josias du Pre Alexander MP (1771 - 1839)

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

Joseph Josias du Pre Alexander, MP, married Mary Bracken, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Bracken. He was the Member for Old Sarum, Wiltshire.

Sources

The History of Parliament

Alexander, Josias Du Pre (1771-1839) of Freemantle Park ,Hants and 7 Grosvenor Square, London

• Family and Education

born 1771 ,5th son of Robert Alexander ( d. 1790 ) of Boom Hall, co Londonerry and Anne, da and coh of Henry McCulloch of Ballyarton, co Londerry, bro of Henry Alexander and James Alexander m. 1 Feb 1808, Mar da of Rev Thomas Bracken of Calcutta, 1s. Illegit, ?.v,p. 2s. 8da. d. 20 Aug 1839.

Offices Held

Writer, E.I. Co (Madras) 1796, asst. under-sec. to bd of trade 1798; dep commercial resident, Colombo 1799; asst to collector of government customs 1801; leave to Bengal 1803 private merchant at home 1818 out of service 1820

Dir, EI. Co. 1820-38

Comm of Lieutenacy London 1831-d

Biography

Like his elder brother James and several other members of the family, Alexander gained considerable wealth and influence from a career in the service of the East India Company, James wrote to express his conduct. I think it is so early called into notice and placed in a situation which must exercise his talents will be of service to him. He is very attentive to his duty and is generally liked from his good temper and obliging dosposition.

He did in fact receive this appointment , but having in the meantime obtained another in 1803 he left Calcutta where he became established as a merchant, agent, banker and naval agent. As James informed the 2nd earl of Caledon, 14 July 1817, the brothers were considering laying out £100,000 on a joint property in Ireland. He added that Josias would thereby get a better return than from the funds and

besides he really has a warm heart and will be glad when he sees all its bearings and effects to enter enter into a measure which promises aggrandizement to the family. I have been too scrupulous in not talking to him more on these subjects, and opening views and considerations to him which are not apt to influence Indians. India is a good nest-egg for the family, and if the fortunes made there and realized here were judiciously and wisely directed and applied here, the consequent influence would be very great.

Nothing came of the Irish plans, but Josias, who acquired a Hampshire estate did co-operate with his brother in their purchase of the borough of Old Sarum from Caledon. who had returned James there since 1812. He seems to have deferred to James in the choice of Members, but was himself returned in July 1820, immediately after the purchase had been agreed . Receiving the support of Nicholas Vansittart, the chancellor of the exchequer, who professed to harbour no resentment against the family over his removal from Old Sarum in 1812, Josias was elected to the board of directors of the East India Company, 16 Aug 1820, and he remained a member of it almost until his death. A misunderstanding between him and Caledon, over the patronage of a writership , was smoothed o ver by James Alexander in 1821.

Alexander was an entirely silent supporter of the Liverpool administration , but he did not attend frequently as his brother, from whom, as they were sometimes both referred to as 'J Alexander' he cannot always be distinguished . He voted against the censure motion on minister's conduct towards Queen Caroline, 6 Feb 1821, unlike his brother he voted for Catholic relief 28 Feb. He was regularly listed in the majorities against Whig motions for retrenchment and reductions in taxation that year, as in subsequent sessions, and (unless it was James) he voted against more extensive tax reductions to relieve distress , 11 Feb, and certainly did so ,21 Feb 1822, it was probable James who voted against the Catholic peers bill, 30 April, but it may have been Josias who voted against inquiry into Irish tithes, 19 June for going into committee on the Canada bill, 18 July and for the aliens bill, 19 July. He divided against inquiry into the conduct of the lord advocate relative to the press in Scotland, 25 July and against referring the Calcutta banker's petition to a committee, 4 July 1822. He voted against inquiries into the right of voting in parliamentary elections, 20 Feb, the legal proceedings against the Dublin rioters, 22 April, and the duties on East Indian sugar, 22 May 1823. He voted against repeal of the Foreign Enlistment Act 16 April , and possibly against reform of the Scottish representative system, 2 June 1823, He may have been the J, Alexander who divided against reform of the representation of Edinburgh , 26 Feb, and for the usury bill, 27 Feb, for which he is known to have voted 8 April 1824, he may have also have been one who presented a petition for 3 May and oversaw the passage of a bill to incorporate the Alliance British and Foreign Life and Fire Assurance Company, and was a teller for the majority for the marine insurance bill, 11 July 1824, when one of the brother's voted against condemning the trial of the Methodist missionary John Smith in Demerara, He divided for the usury bill, 17 Feb , and the Irish unlawful societies bill, 25 Feb. and possibly for the duke of Cumberland's grant, 2,10 June 1825, Given his previous Catholic vote it was almost certainty he who voted for the second reading of the relief bill 21 April 1825.

He is also likely to have been the one who voted for Catholic claims, 6 March 1827, he divided in favour of going into committees on the duke of Clarence grant 26 March, and may have in the spring guns bill, 23 March. He was granted three weeks of absence because of illness in his family 23 March .Unless it was his second cousin Henry Alexander, Member for Barnstable, it was he who in April 1827 was depicted in a cartoon of the directors of the East India Company saying that so help me god, I have no more connection now with the firm of [Fletcher, Alexander and Company] than either Alexander the Great or the Pope. He may have been the Mr Alexander who on January 1828 was said to be hoping that the duke of Wellington would soon replace the hapless Lord Goodrich as prime minister, In March he vacated his seat to make way for his brother's son-in-law Stratford Canning, but he returned to the Commons at the general election of 1830, when he may have been involved in the Londonderry borough contest. Listed by ministers among their friends, he voted with them on the civil list 15 Nov 1830, He divided against the second reading of the Grey ministry's reform bill, 22 March. and for Gascoyne's wrecking amendment 19 April 1831, He was again returned for Old Sarum at the ensuing general election He divided against the second reading of the reintroduced reform bill, 6 July, at Least once to adjourn proceedings on it ,