BROUGHAM, bro-am, Henry (BARON BROUGHAM AND VAUX ), British statesman and jurist: b. Edinburgh, 19 Sept. 1778; d. Cannes, 7 May 186& His father, Henry Brougham, belonged to an old Westmoreland family, and his mother, Eleonora Syme, was a niece of Robertson the historian. He was educated at the High School and the University of Edin burgh, entering the latter at the age of 16. At the age of 18 he wrote an essay, Observations on the Phenomena of Light,' which, being sent to the Royal Society, was printed in its 'Trans actions> for 1796. On leaving college he de voted himself to the study of law at Edinburgh, and was admitted a member of the faculty of advocates in 1800. As a member of the Speculative Society he was brought into con tact with Jeffrey, Homer and others afterward famous; and along with the above-mentioned writers and Sydney Smith bore a chief part in the starting of the Edinburgh Review in 1802, to which he contributed a great number of articles. In 1803 appeared his 'Inquiry into the Colonial Policy of the European Powers,' a work which showed a wide extent of knowl edge in the author, and drew upon him con siderable attention. In it he expressed his decided hostility to the slave-trade. Finding too circumscribed a field for his abilities in Edinburgh, he removed to London, and in 1808 was called to the English bar. One of the first occasions on which he distinguished him self in his professional capacity was in 1810, when he spoke before the House of Lords in behalf of some Liverpool merchants who wished the repeal of the orders in council prohibiting trade with the states subject to France. The same year he entered Parliament as member for the rotten borough of Camelford, joined the Whig p4rty, which was in opposition, and soon after obtained the passing of a measure making the slave-trade felony. He also suc ceeded, before the dissolution of Parliament, in getting the orders in council repealed. At the general election in 1812 he endeavored to get himself elected as one of the members for Liverpool, but was defeated by Canning, and remained without a seat till 1815, when he was returned for Winchelsea. He represented this borough up to 1830. On his return to Parlia ment he began his life-long efforts in the cause of education. In 1819 he and his friends estab lished a model school for the children of the poorer classes in London. In 1825 he published his
speaker and able advocate had been gradually increasing, and his fearless and successful de fense of Queen Caroline in 1820-21 placed him on the pinnacle of popular favor. Two of the speeches spoken by him in this course are looked upon as classic specimens of English eloquence. But the part he took in the defense of the Queen brought him into disfavor with the King, and delayed his promotion for some years, so that it was not till 1827 that he was made a King's counsel. In Parliament he con tinued to speak against negro slavery, and in favor of what may be considered the most valuable of the reforms that we owe to him; namely, the amendment of the common law and of the judicial administration. On this subject he delivered a famous speech of six hours' duration, on 7 Feb. 1828. At the general elec tion of 1830 he was returned for the large county of York, an honor which he attributed chiefly to a celebrated speech delivered by him shortly before on the slave-trade. In the ministry of Earl Grey he accepted the post of Lord Chan cellor, and 22 Nov. 1830, was raised to the peerage, with the title of Baron Brougham and Vaux. The Reform Bill of 1832 received his warmest support in the House of Lords. In 1834, when the Whig ministry was dismissed, Lord Brougham of course lost the chancellor ship, and this proved the end of his official life. He had proved a disagreeable colleague, and was heartily distrusted. Henceforth he devoted himself chiefly to legal and social reforms, maintaining his hostile attitude toward slavery, and continuing his labors in the cause of popular education. He was a zealous opponent of the corn laws. He latterly resided much at Cannes, in the south of France, which he
covered') as a wintering resort. Lord Brougham accomplished a large amount of literary work, contributing to newspapers, reviews and en cyclopmdias, besides writing several independent works in his time. His works, collected by himself, were published in 10 volumes (Edin burgh 1855-57). He was president of Univer sity College, London, and chancellor of Edin burgh University.
Lord Brougham must be looked upon as one of the most remarkable men of his century. His energy and industry were amazing; and he had great powers of application ; but he wrote on too many subjects to be an authority on any. It was said of him that if had known a little of law, he would have known a little of everything. Mathematics, history, biography, moral philosophy and physical science were among the subjects on which he wrote. His greatest service was undoubtedly in the im provement of the legal system. As an orator and parliamentary debater he was regarded as inferior to Canning alone. A little carriage specially built for him was nicknamed a a name that has since been ap plied to this type of vehicle.