caption death_date children birth_place awards nationality birth_date spouse image article_title name occupation organization
alfred liverpool lewis jones memorial at the pier head , 13 december 1909 none carmarthenshire , wales kcmg british 1845 unmarried alfred lewis jones2.jpg alfred lewis jones
 alfred lewis jones ship owner , business man liverpool west africa -lrb- chairman -rrb- , british cotton growing association school -lrb- president -rrb- , liverpool chamber of commerce -lrb- president of -rrb- tropical medicine , bank of british
alfred lewis jones

sir alfred lewis jones , kcmg -lrb- 1845 -- 13 december 1909 -rrb- , was a british ship-owner .
at the age of twelve he was apprenticed to the managers of the african steamship company at liverpool , making several voyages to the west coast of africa .
by the time he was twenty-six he had risen to be manager of the business .
not finding sufficient scope in this post , he borrowed money to purchase two or three small sailing vessels , and started in the shipping business on his own account .
the venture succeeded , and he made additions to his fleet , but after a few years ' successful trading , realizing that sailing ships were about to be superseded by steamers , he sold his vessels .
about this time -lrb- 1891 -rrb- messrs. elder , dempster & co. , who purchased the business of the old african steamship company , offered him a managerial post .
this offer he accepted , subject to messrs. elder , dempster selling him a number of their shares , and he thus acquired an interest in the business , and subsequently , by further share purchases , its control .
took a keen interest in imperial affairs .
he acquired considerable territorial interests in west africa , and financial interests in many of the companies engaged in opening up and developing that part of the world .
elder dempster employed both e.d. morel and roger casement who in time became bitter enemies of jones .
in the early 1900s alfred jones had a monopoly on the congo-antwerp mail traffic as well as consular duties representing king leopold 's congo state in liverpool .
described by w.t. stead as the `` uncrowned king of west africa '' , jones had myriad interests .
in 1900 , in order to supply his ships with bunker fuel , he formed elder 's navigation collieries ltd. and bought two mines in maesteg , south wales .
he took the leading part in opening up a new line of communication with the west indies , and in stimulating the jamaica fruit trade and tourist traffic .
he also developed the tourist trade in the canary islands and the banana industry there .
jones was instrumental in founding the liverpool school of tropical medicine and was chairman of the bank of british west africa and the president of the british cotton growing association .
he was president of the liverpool chamber of commerce , and was knighted as a knight commander of the order of st michael and st george -lrb- kcmg -rrb- in november 1901 , `` in recognition of services to the west african colonies , and to jamaica '' .
in may 1902 he was elected an honorary fellow of jesus college , oxford .
sir alfred died unmarried on 13 december 1909 , leaving large charitable bequests .
a main street in las palmas de gran canaria -lrb- canary islands -rrb- is named after him .
