David James Jenkins

{{Short description|Welsh shipowner and Liberal Party politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}

David James Jenkins (15 April 1824 - 26 February 1891){{Rayment-hc|p|1|date=March 2012}} was a Welsh shipowner and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1886.

Jenkins was the third son of John Jenkins of Haverfordwest (c.1786-1854) and his wife Mary Evans daughter of John Evans. He was educated at Teignmouth Grammar School. He served for several years in the merchant navy and in 1854 and 1855 commanded a troop ship in the Baltic.{{cite book

|last=Mair

|first=Robert Henry

|title=Debrett's Illustrated House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1881

|url=https://archive.org/stream/debrettshouseo1881londuoft#page/124/mode/2up

|year=1881

|publisher=Dean & Son

|location=London

|page=124

}} In 1860, he founded the firm of Jenkins & Co in London which began owning ships in 1861 and sailed mainly to India and the Far East.{{Cite web |url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/shire.htm |title=Shire Line |access-date=5 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526133105/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/shire.htm |archive-date=26 May 2010 |url-status=dead }}

He contested Harwich at the 1868 general election, without success.{{cite book

|last=Craig

|first=F. W. S.

|authorlink= F. W. S. Craig

|title=British parliamentary election results 1832–1885

|origyear=1977

|edition= 2nd

|year=1989

|publisher= Parliamentary Research Services

|location=Chichester

|isbn= 0-900178-26-4

|page=145

}} At the 1874 general election Jenkins was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Penryn and Falmouth.Craig, Election results 1832–1885, page 236 He held the seat until the 1886 general election, when he was defeated by the Conservative Party candidate William Cavendish-Bentinck.{{cite book

|last=Craig

|first=F. W. S.

|authorlink= F. W. S. Craig

|title=British parliamentary election results 1885–1918

|origyear=1974

|edition= 2nd

|year=1989

|publisher= Parliamentary Research Services

|location=Chichester

|isbn= 0-900178-27-2

|page=167

}}

Jenkins died in Torquay at the age of 66.