Lord Henry Brougham 

Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (1778-1868) was a statesman and eventual Chancellor of Great Britain. He was born in Edinburgh to Henry Brougham (1742—1810) and Eleanora. Brougham received his education at the Royal High School and eventually moved on to the University of Edinburgh in 1792. He studied and was interested in many subjects, but in the end he entered the faculty of law in 1796. He also retained an interest in experimental science and even had two articles published in the Transactions of the Royal Society as well as the honor of being admitted to the Royal Society by his 25th birthday. In 1800 Brougham was called to the Scottish bar; however, he did not find much success because of his tendency towards showmanship. He later pursued law again in the English bar and found more success after his well know case defending the Hunt brothers who printed a “seditious” article about the flogging of soldiers. In 1802 he helped start the Edinburgh Review and became one of its most frequent contributors; writing about politics, literature, science, and many other topics. Brougham’s success from the Edinburgh Review established his reputation in London, earning him a place in the higher society and the friendship of many Whig politicians. In 1806 he would be appointed secretary to a diplomatic mission to Portugal, during which time he established his disdain for slavery. He desired a parliamentary seat to further his convictions, and in 1810 he was elected to a seat for Camelford. In the year 1816 he would be elected to the seat of Winchelsea. He showed promise, establishing his reputation in the House of Commons as a frequent speaker. In 1812 Brougham became a chief advisor for Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of future King George IV, as she was being accused of adultery and was threatened with the stripping of her royal title. This defense was beaten, but only by a small number of votes.  This would lead to the suit being withdrawn and, with the princess being very popular amongst the people, would contribute to the great fame of Brougham. He would hold his Parliamentary seat in Winchelsea until 1830 when he was appointed Lord Chancellor. In his four-year tenure he would support the 1832 Reform Act and the Slavery Abolition Act, two of his most notable contributions. He would eventually gain a reputation for arrogance and not be asked to return to his post in 1834. He would never hold office again but would still be involved in politics for the next thirty years. Henry Brougham would die in 1868 and is commemorated by a statue in Cimetière du Grand Jas where he is buried. Some of his notable works are Dialogues on Instinct: with Analytical View of the Researches on Fossil Osteology, Lives of Statesmen, Philosophers, and Men of Science of the Time of George III and an autobiography.