BRADLAUGH, bradia, CHARLES (1833.91). An English radical politician and social re former. Ile was horn in London, Septemher 26, 1833. ills early education was meagre, for lie had to support himself, at times by running er rands. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the army. He secured his discharge in 1853. became clerk to a London solicitor, and soon was noted as an agitator, free-thought lecturer, and as a pam phleteer under the name of 'Iconoclast! He pub lished the Vat tonal Reformer. In 1873 he made a short visit to the United States, lecturing in the larger cities. In 1876. with Mrs. Annie Besant, be was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and £200 fine for republishing the Malthusian Pruits of Philosophy, but the conviction was quashed on appeal. Elected member of Parlia• went for Northampton in 1380, lie pleaded that as an atheist he had the right to affirm, but when this request was denied, expressed his •il lingness to take the oath. This the House de eided he was disqualified front doing; he was ordered to leave, and on his refusal was placed in custody. Ilis seat was declared vacant by the court to which the case was carried. But his
constituency returned him in ISAI: he presented himself, was again denied the privilege of taking the oath. and on his refusal to leave the House was foreihly ejected. Similar scenes occurred at the proroguing of Parliament in 1332 and IS83, :nut in the latter year Bradlaugh won a suit which he li•ought against the sergeant-at-arms for unlawful ejection. The case, however, was decided on technical grounds, and the invalidity of his title to a seat in the House was reaffirmed. In 1385 he was again returned for Northampton, and was permitted to take the oath, and shortly before his death. January 30. 1391, Parliament expunged from its records the resolution for bidding him to take the oaths. Of his writings, The impeachment of the !louse of Brunswick (11,•-don, 1875) attained the greatest popularity. It advocated the repeal of the Hanoverian settle ment of the crown at time Queen's death. See his life by his daughter, :Mrs. Bonner, and J. M. Robertson (1894).