Alexander Brogden

Who was Alexander Brogden?

Alexander Brogden was born in Manchester on 3 November 1825, the second son of John Brogden and educated at Blackburn, New College Manchester and King's College London, where he read mathematics. He married Anne Garstang on 6 September 1848 at Manchester Cathedral. He joined his father's contracting business, John Brogden and Sons, in 1846. He had intended to join the Bar but was persuaded to support his father instead. Among his first work for the firm was the supervision of contracts for the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway, the Ashton Branch of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway and the East Lancashire Railway.

In 1850 Brogdens took a lease of the South Staffordshire Line jointly with John McClean and Alexander managed this for about six years. During the building of the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway, Alexander supervised for the firm while James Brunlees was the Engineer. Alexander Brogden was the first chairman of the Solway Junction Railway, again with James Brunlees as the Engineer.