William Sanford Evans

William Sanford Evans (December 18, 1869-1950) was a Manitoba politician. Between 1933 and 1936, he was the leader of that province's Conservative Party caucus.

Evans was born in Spencerville, Ontario, the son of Rev. J.S. Evans. He was educated at the Collegiate Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Victoria University and Columbia University. He subsequently moved to Manitoba.

Evans was active in the publishing industry of his new province, founding the Winnipeg Telegram and writing a book on Canadian Imperialism during the Second Boer War. In 1920, he co-founded a publishing firm specializing in grain industry news.

Evans ran for the federal Conservatives in Winnipeg in 1904, but was defeated by Liberal David Bole. He was elected Mayor of Winnipeg in 1909, and served in that position until 1911.

Evans was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1922, leading the Conservative party list in Winnipeg (which elected ten MLAs through preferential balloting). He was re-elected in 1927 and 1932, topping the Winnipeg ballot on the latter occasion. When Col. Fawcett G. Taylor resigned as Conservative leader in 1933, Evans was chosen to lead the party's parliamentary caucus. He did not run against Errick F. Willis at the party's 1936 leadership convention, and did not run in the provincial election which followed.

In 1931, while still serving in the Manitoba legislature, Evans was appointed by British Columbia Premier Simon F. Tolmie to head a commission investigating that province's fruit-growing cooperatives. In keeping with Evans's "free-market" ideology, the commission's report recommended a return to open competition, and was opposed by many within the trade.

Evans continued to publish grain industry news following his retirement from parliament. He died in 1950.

Notably, Evans's brother Harry M.E. Evans served as mayor of Edmonton, Alberta. As well, Evans's son Gurney Evans served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin and Walter Weir in Manitoba.