Early life in 1832 Brougham was born and grew up in
Edinburgh, the eldest son of
Henry Brougham (1742–1810), of
Brougham Hall in
Westmorland, and Eleanora, daughter of Reverend James Syme. The Broughams had been an influential
Cumberland family for centuries. Brougham was educated at the
Royal High School and the
University of Edinburgh, where he chiefly studied
natural science and mathematics, but also the law. He published several scientific papers through the
Royal Society, notably on light and colours and on
prisms, and at the age of only 25 was elected a Fellow. However, Brougham chose law as his profession and was admitted to the
Faculty of Advocates in 1800. He practised little in Scotland, and instead entered
Lincoln's Inn in 1803. Five years later he was called to the Bar. Not a wealthy man, Brougham turned to journalism to support himself financially through these years. He was one of the founders of the
Edinburgh Review and quickly became known as its foremost contributor, with articles on everything from science, politics, colonial policy, literature, poetry, surgery, mathematics and the fine arts. In the early 19th century, Brougham, a follower of
Newton, launched anonymous attacks in the
Edinburgh Review against
Thomas Young's research, which proved light was a wave phenomenon that exhibited interference and diffraction. These attacks slowed acceptance of the truth for a decade, until
François Arago and
Augustin-Jean Fresnel championed Young's work. Brougham's scientific forays also included an attack upon Sir
William Herschel (1738–1822). As Royal Astronomer, Herschel found a correlation between the observed number of sunspots and wheat prices. This met with ridicule as a "grand absurdity" from Lord Brougham. Economists nowadays concur with Brougham on the irrelevancy of
sunspots.
Early career The success of the
Edinburgh Review made Brougham a man of the mark from his first arrival in London. He quickly became a fixture in London society and gained the friendship of
Lord Grey and other leading
Whig politicians. In 1806 the
Foreign Secretary,
Charles James Fox, appointed him secretary to a diplomatic mission to
Portugal, led by
James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn, and
John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent. The mission aimed to counteract the anticipated French invasion of
Portugal. During these years he became a close supporter of the
movement for the abolition of slavery, a cause to which he was to be passionately devoted for the rest of his life. Despite being a well-known and popular figure, Brougham had to wait before being offered a parliamentary seat to contest. However, in 1810 he was elected for
Camelford, a
rotten borough controlled by the
Duke of Bedford. He quickly gained a reputation in the
House of Commons, where he was one of the most frequent speakers and was regarded by some as a potential future leader of the Whig Party. However, Brougham's career was to take a downturn in 1812, when, standing as one of two Whig candidates for
Liverpool, he was heavily defeated. He was to remain out of Parliament until 1816 when he was returned for
Winchelsea. He quickly resumed his position as one of the most forceful members of the House of Commons and worked especially in advocating a programme for the education of the poor, where he chaired the select committee which produced the influential
Reports on the Education of the Lower Orders. He was also a proponent of legal reform and it was on this subject in 1828, he made a six-hour speech, the longest ever made in the House of Commons.
Defence of Queen Caroline In 1812, Brougham had become one of the chief advisers to Queen Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of George, Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent and future
George IV. This was to prove a key development in his life. In April 1820, Caroline, then living abroad, appointed Brougham her Attorney-General. Earlier that year George IV had succeeded to the throne on the death of his long incapacitated father
George III. Caroline was brought back to Britain in June for appearances only, but the king immediately began divorce proceedings against her. The Pains and Penalties Bill, aimed at dissolving the marriage and stripping Caroline of her Royal title on the grounds of adultery, was brought before the
House of Lords by the
Tory government. However, Brougham led a legal team (which also included
Thomas Denman) that eloquently defended the Princess. Brougham threatened to introduce evidence of George IV's affairs and his secret marriage to a Roman Catholic, which could have potentially thrown the monarchy into chaos, and it was suggested to Brougham that he hold back for the sake of his country. He responded with his now-famous speech in the House of Lords: The speech has since become legendary among defence lawyers for the principle of zealously advocating for one's client. The bill passed, but by the narrow margin of only nine votes.
Lord Liverpool, aware of the unpopularity of the bill and afraid that it might be overturned in the House of Commons, then withdrew it. The British public had mainly been on the Princess's side, and the outcome of the trial made Brougham one of the most famous men in the country. His legal practice on the
Northern Circuit rose fivefold, although he had to wait until 1827 before being made a
King's Counsel. In 1826, Brougham, along with
Wellington, was one of the clients and lovers named in the notorious
Memoirs of Harriette Wilson. Before publication, Wilson and publisher
John Joseph Stockdale wrote to all those named in the book offering them the opportunity to be excluded from the work in exchange for a cash payment. Brougham paid and secured his anonymity.
Lord Chancellor Brougham remained a member of Parliament for
Winchelsea until February 1830 when he was returned for
Knaresborough. However, he represented Knaresborough only until August the same year, when he became one of four representatives for
Yorkshire. His support for the immediate abolition of slavery brought him enthusiastic support in the industrial
West Riding. The Reverend
Benjamin Godwin of Bradford devised and funded posters that appealed to Yorkshire voters who had supported
William Wilberforce to support Brougham as a committed opponent of slavery However, Brougham was adopted as a Whig candidate by only a tiny majority at the nomination meeting: the Whig gentry objecting that he had no connection with agricultural interests, and no connection with the county. Brougham came second in the poll, behind the other Whig candidate; although the liberals of Leeds had placarded the town with claims that
one of the Tory candidates supported slavery, this was strenuously denied by him. In November the
Tory government led by the Duke of Wellington fell, and the Whigs came to power under
Lord Grey. Brougham joined the government as Lord Chancellor, although his opponents claimed he previously stated he would not accept office under Grey. Brougham refused the post of
Attorney General, but accepted that of
Lord Chancellor, which he held for four years. On 22 November, he was raised to the peerage as
Baron Brougham and Vaux, of
Brougham in the County of Westmorland. The highlights of Brougham's time in government were passing the Reform Act 1832 and Slavery Abolition Act 1833 but he was seen as dangerous, unreliable and arrogant.
Charles Greville, who was
Clerk of the Privy Council for 35 years, recorded his "genius and eloquence" was marred by "unprincipled and execrable judgement". Although retained when
Lord Melbourne succeeded Grey in July 1834, the administration was replaced in November by
Sir Robert Peel's Tories. When Melbourne became Prime Minister again in April 1835, he excluded Brougham, saying his conduct was one of the main reasons for the fall of the previous government;
Baron Cottenham became Lord Chancellor in January 1836.
Later life Brougham was never to hold office again. However, for more than thirty years after his fall he continued to take an active part in the judicial business of the House of Lords, and in its debates, having now turned fiercely against his former political associates, but continuing his efforts on behalf of reform of various kinds. He also devoted much of his time to writing. He had continued to contribute to the
Edinburgh Review, the best of his writings being subsequently published as
Historical Sketches of Statesmen Who Flourished in the Time of George III. In 1834, he was elected a foreign member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1837, Brougham presented a bill for public education, arguing that "it cannot be doubted that some legislative effort must at length be made to remove from this country the opprobrium of having done less for the education of the people than any of the more civilized nations on earth". In 1838, after news came up of British colonies where the emancipation of the slaves was obstructed or where the ex-slaves were being badly treated and discriminated against, Lord Brougham stated in the House of Lords:The slave ... is as fit for his freedom as any English peasant, aye, or any Lord whom I now address. I demand his rights; I demand his liberty without stint.... I demand that your brother be no longer trampled upon as your slave! Brougham was elected
Rector of Marischal College for 1838. He also edited, in collaboration with
Sir Charles Bell,
William Paley's
Natural Theology and published a work on political philosophy and in 1838 he published an edition of his speeches in four volumes. The last of his works was his posthumous
Autobiography. In 1854, Brougham was appointed to the
Royal Commission for Consolidating the Statute Law, a
royal commission to consolidate existing statutes and enactments of
English law. In 1857 he was one of the founders of the
National Association for the Promotion of Social Science and was its president at some congresses. In 1860, Brougham was given by
Queen Victoria a second peerage as
Baron Brougham and Vaux, of
Brougham in the County of Westmorland and of
Highhead Castle in the County of Cumberland, with remainder to his youngest brother
William Brougham (died 1886). The patent stated that the second peerage was in honour of the great services he had rendered, especially in promoting the abolition of slavery. ==Family==