MORLEY, Jon N 1538—). An English statesman and author, born at Blackburn, in Lancashire, December 24, 1838. Having taken his degree at Lincoln College. Oxford (1859), lie went to London to engage in literature. He soon became editor of the Literary Gazette, at that time in such a state of decrepitude that Morley, with all his energy and talent. could not quicken it to new His writings soon showed the intluence of Auguste Comte, and be became known as an agnostic philosopher. From 1868 to 1870 he edited for a little while the daily Morning Star. In 1867 he succeeded Lewes as editor of the Fort llerien% wide!' he conducted hrilliantly till 1883, becoming, in that year, editor of ilarmillan's Magazine. Under his guidance the Macmillans have issued since 1578 the "English Nen of Let ters Series," to which Morley contributed a short but excellent Life of Edmund Burke ( I879). II is Burke, an historical study, appeared in 1867. In 1880 he began ably to edit the Pa// Gazelle: in 1881 lie lished his Life of Cobden: and in 1883. after two failures, lie was at a by-election returned to Parliament for Neweastle-upon-Tyne. lle soon became prominent. and in 1886 lie was made Secretary for Ireland under Gladstone, thus getting an insight into Gladstonian politics and character to be shown later in his Life of Gladstone (1903). Morley sympathized with
the Irish Nationalists, but, unlike Gladstone, he was unhampered by pledges and opinions. On the defeat of the Gladstonians in 1886 lie was half in politics, half in letters, till Gladstone's return to power restored him to his former office. anti-imperialistic views helped to lose him his seat in 1895, but he was soon re elected from the Montrose Burghs, Scotland. in 1898 and afterwards he upheld the Boers. Besides the books already mentioned, Morley is the author of monographs on Voltaire (1872), Rousseau (1873), one of the most sympathetic biographies ever written, Diderot and the En cyclopag ist s (1S7S) , and Walpole (1889). In Cromwell (1900) he added something to histori cal knowledge, though his work is mainly a re vision of Gardiner. In 1902 Andrew Carnegie presented to him the rich historical collection of Lord Acton, recently deceased, and Morley in turn presented it to Oxford University.