Edward Colston

Edward Colston
Portrait by Jonathan Richardson
Member of Parliament for Bristol
In office 1710–1713
Personal details
Born	(1636-11-02)2 November 1636 Bristol, England
Died	11 October 1721(1721-10-11) (aged 84) Mortlake, Surrey, England
Resting place	All Saints' Church, Bristol
Political party	Tory
Relatives	Edward Colston (nephew)
Occupation	Merchant

Edward Colston (2 November 1636 – 11 October 1721) was an English merchant, slave trader, philanthropist, and Tory Member of Parliament.

Colston followed his father in the family business becoming a sea merchant, initially trading in wine, fruits and textiles, mainly in Spain, Portugal and other European ports. From 1680 to 1692 he was a member of the Royal African Company, which held a monopoly on the English trade along the west coast of Africa, in slaves, gold, silver and ivory. He was deputy governor^[a] of the company from 1689 to 1690.

Colston supported and endowed schools and other public institutions in Bristol, London and elsewhere. His name was widely commemorated in Bristol landmarks, and a statue of him was erected in 1895.

With growing awareness and disapproval in the late 20th century of his involvement in Britain's slave trade, there were protests and petitions for landmarks named after him to be renamed, culminating in June 2020, when his statue was toppled and pushed into Bristol Harbour during protests in support of Black Lives Matter. The city's concert venue, Colston Hall, was renamed Bristol Beacon along with several other locations that held his name.
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