COBDEN, Richard, English economist, the great ((apostle of free trade": b. Dunforo, Sus sex, 3 June 1804; d. London, 2 April 1865. After receiving a very meagre education at the grammar school of Midhurst, he was taken as an apprentice into a Manchester warehouse in London belonging to his uncle, where he rapid ly made up for the defects of his education by his own diligence and soon acquired a thorough acquaintance with the business. In 1831, being left to his own resources, he obtained some advances of money, and, with some relatives, started a cotton manufactory at Sabden, Lan cashire, which in a few years succeeded in pro ducing fabncs equal in point of quality to the best manufactured in London. By several journeys that he now made to France, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States, chiefly in the interest of the firm, he not only increased his business connections, but matured. and en larged his views. His first political wnting was a pamphlet on England, Ireland and America, which was followed by another on Russia. In both of these he gave clear utterance to the political views to which he continued through his life rigidly to adhere, rejecting the course of policy based upon the theory of the balance of power, advocating non-intervention in the disputes of other nations and maintaining it to be the only proper object of the foreign policy of England to increase and strengthen her con nections with foreign countries in the way of trade and peaceful intercourse. These views, although disregarded or considered as vision ary in Parliament, were warmly received in in dustrial and commercial circles and secured Cobden a considerable number of followers, especially in Manchester. After returning from extensive travels in the East and in Ger many, he entered actively on a course of agi tation with the view of carrying into effect his political views. Soon after the Anti-Corn Law League was fonned in 1838, it was joined by Cobden, who expended all his energies on be half of the cause to support which the league had been founded; and it was chiefly the ex traordinary activity and perseverance of Cobden, joined to the zeal of his supporter Bright, that brought about the final victory of free-trade principles. In 1841 • Cobden was returned to Parliament by Stockport. In his very first speech in Parliament he took occasion to point out the unjust way in which the corn-laws op erated, and, undeterred by the failure of his first attempts, returned again and again to this subject. After five years of unwearied con
test he at last succeeded in convincing Sir Rob ert Peel himself, at that time Prime Minister, of the pernicious action of the com-laws, and in inducing him to bring in a bill for their re peal. The bill passed both houses of Parlia ment before the end of June 1846, and Sir Robert Peel was the first to congratulate Cob den on his victory in a speech delivered in the House of Commons. During this long struggle Cobden had been obliged to neglect his busi ness, which before agitation commenced had been a highly prosperous one. As a compensa tion for the loss he had thus sustained a na tional subscription was made and a sum of about $400,000 presented to him. After again visiting several countries on the Continent, where he was generally received with enthusiasm, he returned to his parliamentary duties in 1847, having been returned without opposition as one of the members for the West Riding of Yorkshire. He now appeared chiefly as the ad vocate of parliamentary reform, economy and retrenchment in the management of the finances of the country, and a policy of non-intervention; in all of which he found a firm and ready ally in Bright. His advocacy of a peace policy did not in every case add to his popularity. His opposition to the policy of Lord Aberdeen in 1853, which ultimately led to the Russian War, met with no success; and although in 1857 he carried a vote of censure on Lord Palmerston's Chinese policy, his action in this case was dis pleasing to the country generally. In 1860 he negotiated a treaty of commerce with France, and in reward for his services on.this occasion was offered a baronetcy, a seat in the privy council and several other offices and dignities, all of which he persistently .refused. A col leclion of his political wntings appeared in 1867 and a collection of his speeches 'Speeches on Questions of Public Policy) (1870). Con sult Garnier, (R. Cobden, les Liguers et la Ligue) (1846) ; McGilchrist, (Life of Richard Cobden) (1865) ; Morley, (Life of Richard Cobden) (1881433); McCann, (Six Radical Thinkers) (1910).