Lord Henry Peter Brougham
Lord Henry Peter Brougham - A Famous Scottish Jurist and Polititian
Lord Henry Peter Brougham (1778 - 1868) He was trained in the law, but first won attention as a contributor to and founder of the Edinburgh Review. He entered the House fo Commons in 1810. Brougham's debating skill, his sense of the correct political opportunity, and the remarkable range of his interests, brought much needed edge to the work of the jaded Whig opposition.
In 1810 - 1811 Bougham helped to lay the foundations of the alliance between Whigs and the middle classes when he led the national and parliamentary campaign against the Orders in Council which had been imposed as part of a policy of retaliation against Napoleon's Continental System. Brougham's popular image was confirmed by his attacks on the Income Tax in 1815 - 1816, and by his defence of Queen Caroline in 1820.
It was natural that the Whig Reform administration that took office in 1830 should rely heavily on Brougham; he helped shape the Reform Bill. As Lord Chancellor he had the thankless task of managing the Bill in the Lords. Brougham was disliked by his cabinet colleagues; his ability disturbed them, and his waspishness was an embarrassment. Yet his achievements as Lord Chancellor were considerable. He had long championed legal reform and was able to promote the creation of the judicial committee of the Privy Council.
Brougham was also a renowned educationist. He had already proposed government aid to education, and first such grant was made in 1833. Earlier, Brougham had founded the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge in 1827, and in 1828 was associated with the foundation of the University of London. He was convinced of the need to provide facilities for adult education and his work for the Mechanics' institutes had led him to be described in 1824 as "the most able and eloquent friend of the Mechanics now living".
Brougham was left out of Lord Melbourne's cabinet in 1835, and he did not hold office again.
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