PEEL, Sir ROBERT ( 1788-1850 ) . An eminent British statesman. He was born on February 5, 1738, the eldest son of Robert Peel (created baronet in 18001, a wealthy cotton-spinner. Peel was educated at. Harrow and Christ Church, Ox ford, graduating from the latter in 1808. In 1809 he entered the House of Commons. where he began his career in supporting the Tory Ministry of the Duke of Portland. In 1810 he was appoint ed Under-Secretary for War and the Colonies. In 1812. Lord Liverpool having meanwhile become Prime :Minister. Peel became Chief Secretary for Ireland. In this capacity he had to consider three great questions: patronage, the preserva tion of order. and the maintenance of the Protest ant ascendency. In order to carry out these af fairs successfully. Peel ignored all personal ends, and appointed Catholics and Protestants alike, this strengthening his party. lie created the Irish constabulary. dubbed 'Peelers,' and be came involved in such a bitter contest with Daniel O'ConwelI (q.v.) that he \sm.., driven in 1813 to -cud the agitator a challenge. The po lice, however, prevented the duel front taking place. Peel remained Irish Secretary until ISIS, %%hen he resigned. lie had been chosen in 1817 the representative of Oxford in Parliament, an unusual honor for so young a man. He also began about this time to acquire a reputation a, a financier and economist; and in 1819 he was appointed chairman of a special committee to consider the state of the Bank of England. As a result the so-called 'Peel's Act' was adopted, ac cording to which specie payments were resumed on May 1, 1823.
Peel had been a vigorous opponent of all acts intended to emancipate the Catholics, but about this time his view, gradually began to change, though the process was so slow that after he had reentered the _Ministry in 1S22 as Home Secre tary lie continue-el to oppose the measures of Canning, the most powerful advocate of the Catholics. and in 1827, after Canning had be come Prime Minister, Peel resigned. In 1828 he again became Home Secretary in the Cabinet of the Duke of Wellington. By this time Peel decided to support Catholic emancipation, and on March 5, 1829, himself introduced a bill to effect this change, which soon became a law. As a result of this reversal of his views, Peel no longer remained the representative of Oxford. He also brought about at this time numerous re forms in the laws, and in 1829 established the London police force.
In November, 1S30, the Cabinet was defeated. on the question of Parliamentary reform, and Peel for the first time belonged to the Opposition. Ile vigorously attacked the Reform Bills, and played an important part in the various dramatic episodes of that time. On December 9, 1434, lie became Prime :Minister, and tried to carry on the Government in the face of an overwhelming hos tile majority, but on April 8, 1833, he was com pelled to give tip the contest. He began slowly, but surely, to build up the great Conservative Party, so called since 1S31, and gathered together his young men like Disraeli and Gladstone. In 1s39 the Conservative leader was summoned on one occasion to form a Cabinet. but Queen Victoria refused to submit to changes in the personnel of her household. and so the \Vhigs remained in power. They were, however, pressed on the one side by the new Radical Party and the Anti-Corn League, and on the other by O'Connell. They lost ground. and in 1841 were compelled to dis-olve Parliament. The general election that ensued was virtually a contest between free trade and protection. and the latter won. W hen the new Parliament met, the Conservative Party, headed by Peel. came into office. The Whig's desired a fixed and moderate duty on foreign eon]: the .‘nti-Corn League wished free corn;
while Peel was in favor of a modification of the sliding. scale of duty which had exited since 1828. Ile introduced and carried in 1S4?. in spite of strong opposition. a measure based upon this principle. The deficit in the revenue. which had become quite alarming under the Melbourne Administration, next engaged his attention, and led him to bring in a bill I IS42I for the imposi tion of an 'income tax' of 7d. in the pound, to be levied for three years. To equalize still fur ther the burden, of taxation. Peel commenced a revision of the general tariff, and either abolished or lowered the duties on several very important articles of commerce. The great Bank Charter Act of 1644 was the measure to which Peel himself felt most attached. and tvhich lie considered the most important and far-reaching of his Adminis tration. He also ,hotted himself resolute in the repression of the malcontents of Ireland. O'Con nell (q.v.) was tried for conspiracy. and though the judgment against him was -et aside on appeal to the House of Lords, the influence of the 'agi tator' was broken. The first halt of 1645 was marked by the increase of the allowance to May !moth and its change into a permanent endow ment instead of an annual grant, and by the foundation of the Irish nonsectarian colleges and other important measures. The potato-rot in Ire land during the autumn, followed by a frightful famine, rendered 'cheap corn' a necessity, if mil lions were not to starve. Cobden and the League redoubled their exertions. Lord John Russell an nounced the views of the Liberal Party on the crisis, and Peel finally yielded. He told his Minis terial colleagues that the corn-laws were doomed, and their repeal was inevitable. Some of them refusing to go along with hint. he resigned; but after a few days he was recalled, and the repeal w:s carried. He was. however, immediately afterwards defeated on a protection of life bill for Ireland. Not so much upon this account, as because he felt that the course which lie had pur sued had produced a dissolution of the old ties of party. and that he could not expect for some time to find himself at the head of a strong Govern ment, Peel retired from office in June, I846, giving place to a Liberal Administration under Lord John Ru,-ell, to which he gave an inde pendent but general support as the leader of a middle party rather than Liberal or Conserva tive. In the critical times of 1847-48 he was one of the most important props of the Govern ment, whose free-trade principles lie had now completely accepted. Ili, ecclesiastical policy had also undergone a remarkable change. and lie now frankly supported the Liberals in their ef fort, to carry an net for the repeal of the Jew ish disabilities. on .June 28. 1830. he spoke with great eloquence in the debate on Lord Pal merston's Greek policy. On the day he was thrown from hi- horse in Hyde Park, and was so such injured that lie died on the evening of duly 2. 185O.
The best authorities for a study of Peel are: Collection of Speeches Dclirered in Parliament (4 vols.. London, 1853) Stanhope and Cardwell, Memoirs by Peel (ib.. 185i); Hardinge and Peel, Sir Robert PCO His Life and His nee (ib., 1S9] ). A great number of biographies of Peel exist. Among the lie-4 may he named: Taylor and Mackay. Life and Mlles of Sir Robert Peel (London. 1840-50) ; Doubleday, The Political Life of Sir Robert Peel Oh_ 1836): Fir Lawrence Peel. Life and Character of Sir Robert Peel lib., 1860) Guizot, Sir Robert Peel: Etude d'histoire eontemporaine 1856O. Consult also "Peel." in Twelve English Statesmen Series, in Prime Ministers of Queen Victoria Series. and in Statesmen Series.