James Frederick Hutton

Who was James Frederick Hutton?

James Frederick Hutton was a British businessman, colonialist and Conservative politician.

He was the son of W M Hutton and Elizabeth Chapman, and inherited the family business importing palm oil from Africa. Hutton's warehouses were near Piccadilly, Manchester He was for some years the President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and was the inaugural President of the Manchester Geographical Society. He was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Hutton took a great interest in colonial policy in Africa. In 1876 he was part of a deputation that met with Lord Carnarvon, the Secretary of State for the Colonies to protest against a treaty with Portugal that would have ceded areas along the River Gambia. At the time of the Congo Conference of 1884 he was involved in campaigns against the Portuguese "Pink Map" and to maintain British control of Sierra Leone.

In 1885 he was selected as Conservative candidate for the newly created constituency of Manchester North. He was elected, beating the Liberal, Charles Schwann by 650 votes. He was only a member of parliament for eight months, however, losing his seat to Schwann in the 1886 general election.