Alexander Raphael (1775–1850) was a British politician who was the first British-Armenian to serve in the House of Commons.[1] He was returned as a Whig MP from the Irish constituency of County Carlow, at a by-election in June 1835. However the election was challenged on petition and he was unseated on 19 August 1835. Raphael succeeded in re-entering the House of Commons as a Catholic Whig from St Albans in 1847 and retained the seat until his death.
Alexander Raphael | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for St Albans | |
| In office 1847–1850 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Bond Cabbell |
| Succeeded by | Jacob Bell |
| Member of Parliament for Carlow | |
| In office June 1835 – 19 August 1835 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1775 Madras, India |
| Died | 1850 (aged 74–75) |
| Political party | Whig |
Prior to serving in Parliament, he had been Sheriff of London for 1834, where he lost the tip of his left index finger in a fight with a criminal.[2]
Early life
editRaphael was born in Madras, India to father Edward Raphael, a founder of Carniac Bank who passed away in 1791, and mother Maria Stephana Manuel, who died in 1790. He was baptised as a Catholic. His father was reportedly descended from Armenians (surnamed either Gharamiants or Kharan) who moved to New Julfa, Iran in the mid-17th century and then Madras. Raphael was tutored by Father Nicholas Pusani.[3]
Legacy
edit
His legacy is St Raphael's Church in Surbiton, London, which he financed and had built as a family chapel. Completed in 1848, only two years before his death, it was later opened to the public as a Roman Catholic church by his nephew, Edward.[4]
References
edit- ^ Seth, Mesrovb Jacob (1937). Armenians in India: From the Earliest Times to the Present. Calcutta. p. 595. ISBN 9788120608122.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ David Marshall Lang.Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. George Allen and Unwin Publishers. British ISBN 0-04-956008-5
- ^ Kennedy, David A (30 January 2018). "From Madras to Surbiton. Alexander Raphael, unbeaten champion, 1775-1850". Kingston History Research. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "Saint Raphael - Our Church". Official website. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922, edited by B.M. Walker (Royal Irish Academy 1978)
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
- James Corbett, A History of St Albans states that Alexander Raphael was a Whig, as does F.W.S. Craig in British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885.
External links
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