BROUGHAM, HENRY, Lord BROUGHAM AND Varx, was b. in Edinburgh, 19th Sept., 1778. His father, Mr. Henry Brougham, was the descendant of an ancient family in Westmoreland, and his mother, Eleonora Syine, who was a woman of mueh talent, was /I niece of Robertson the historian. B. received his education at the high school, and afterwards at the university, of Edinburgh. He gave early promise of future ability, some mathematica] papers written by him at the age of eighteen having been considered of publication in the transactions of the royal society. He spent some time in traveling on the continent, and in 1800 was admitted to the Scotch bar. In company with Jeffrey, Horner, and Sydney Smith, B.'s first public efforts were given to the -service of the Edinburgh Review, and he contributed to it some of its most powerful _articles. His liberal political views excluded him from the hope of promotion in Scot land, and a diameter which he had acquired for eccentricity and indiscretion, excluded him from all legal practice, except the unrenumerative practice of the criminal courts. After seven years of vain attendance in the courts at Edinburgh, he betook himself to a field more worthy of his ambition, and in 1808 passed at the English bar.
In London, B. first attracted public notice by the admirable appearance lie made at the bar of the house of commons, when he was employed on behalf of certain Liverpool merchants to ask the repeal of the orders in council. Soon after this, in 1810, he entered parliament, and within a few months of the time of taking his seat, brought in and car ried his first public measure—an net making participation in the slave-trade felony. He was welcomed by the opposition leaders, to Nvlios.e party he had attached hunself, as a most powerful assistant in their attacks upon the government. B. succeeded in carry lug the repeal of the obnoxious orders in council the general election of 1812, and then ventured to contest, along with another Whig, the membership for Liver pool against Canning and another tory. He was defeated, and remained without a scat in parliament till 1816, when he was returned for Winclielsea, and again became an active member of the opposition. By this time lie had also established some reputation in the courts of law. He never, indeed, acquired a very large practice, but he repeatedly
distinguished himself by speeches of great vigor and ability in the defense of persons prosecuted for libel by the crown. Ills most famous appearance as an advocate, how ever, was in defense of queen Caroline, when, along with Denman, he defended the injured queen with unequaled courage and disinterestedness, at the cost, as both well knew, of exclusion, for years to come, from all professional advancement. But his eloquence and boldness, though they forfeited for him the favor of the crown, gained him that of the people, and for the ten years between 1820 and 1830, B. was the popular idol. lie made no bad use of his power. In 1822, he used it, though in vain, in sup port of a scheme of national education; and to his activity is owing, in great measure, the establishment of the London university, of the first mechanics' institute, and of the society for the diffusion of useful knowledge. In 1830, B. delivered a most powerful speech against slavery, and in consequence of it—as he himself believed—was invited to vaud, and returned, as member for the great popular constituency of the co. of 'York. The aristocratically disposed whips would—had they dared—have excluded B. from the reform ministry; but, in addition to having enormous popularity, he was vir tually their leader in debate in the commons, and was thus, in spite of his uninanage ableness, indispensable. After various intrigues, B. was offered, and was persuaded, against both his interests and his inclinations, to accept a peerage and the chancellor ship He took his seat in the lords in Nov., 1830, and assisted very materially in carry ing through that house the great measures then proposed by the liberal ministers. He shared in the general unpopularity which afterwards attached to them, and when they were dismissed by William IV. in 1834, B. left office, never to return to it. After that time, lie held in the upper house a position as nearly analogous as may be to that for merly held by him in the commons, criticising freely the conduct of successive admin istrations, and steadily forwarding every measure for social progress.