William Hosken: born 1851 in Cornwall. After studying engineering in Britain, Hosken came to South Africa where he established himself in the business sector; by the 1890s he was managing director of several gold mines in the vicinity of Johannesburg.

Hosken received a two year sentence for the part he played in the Jameson Raid which presumably explains why no newspaper clipping were collected between November 1895 March 1897.

Following services rendered to the Empire during the Boer war, Milner appointed Hoskins to the Johannesburg Council in 1902, Hoskins played furthermore a significant role in the Transvaal Parliament where he was known for his liberalism and support for Gandhi.

He died in 1925.