Henry Parkman Sturgis


Henry Parkman Sturgis was an American-born banker in England and a Liberal politician.

Early life

Sturgis was born in the United States on 1 March 1847. He was a son of Russell Sturgis and his third wife, Julia Overing Boit, a daughter of Eleanor Auchmuty Boit and John Boit Jr., one of the first Americans involved in the maritime fur trade. Among his siblings were the authors Julian Sturgis and Howard Sturgis and Mary Greene Hubbard Sturgis. From his father's previous marriage to Mary Greene Hubbard, his elder half-brother was prominent architect and builder John Hubbard Sturgis.
Sturgis was named after his uncle, Henry Parkman Sturgis, who with his brother Russell Sturgis made a fortune from the Manila-based mercantile house Russell & Sturgis founded with George Robertson Russell. His cousin Maria Trinidad Howard Sturgis Middlemore was an author.

Education and career

Sturgis was educated at Eton and at Christ Church, Oxford. He became a partner in Baring Bros. & Co. of Liverpool and was a director of London and Westminster Bank.
In the 1885 general election, Sturgis was elected Member of Parliament for South Dorset but lost the seat in the 1886 general election. He was High Sheriff of the County of London in 1896.

Personal life

On 2 October 1872, Sturgis was married to the Hon. Mary Cecilia Brand at Parish Church in Glynde. Mary was a daughter of Henry Brand, 1st Viscount Hampden and the former Eliza Ellice. Before her death on 20 June 1886, they were the parents of six children, including:
On 17 July 1896, Sturgis married Marie "Mariette" Eveleen Meredith, the daughter of the novelist George Meredith.
Sturgis died on 1 March 1929.