Francis Horner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francis Horner
|
|
|---|---|
Francis Horner by Henry Raeburn.
|
|
| Member of Parliament for St Mawes | |
| In office 1813–1817 |
|
| Member of Parliament for Wendover | |
| In office 1807–1812 |
|
| Member of Parliament for St Ives | |
| In office 1806–1807 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 August 1778 Edinburgh, Scotland. |
| Died | 8 February 1817 (aged 38) Pisa, Italy. |
| Resting place | Old English Cemetery, Livorno, Italy. |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Political party | Whig |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Politician and lawyer. |
Francis Horner FRSE (12 August 1778 – 8 February 1817) was a Scottish Whig politician, journalist, lawyer and political economist.
Early life: 1778–1807
He was born in Edinburgh the son of John Horner a linen merchant and his wife Joanna Baillie. The family lived originally on Princes Street then moved to 19 York Place. His younger brother was Leonard Horner. He had another younger brother, John Horner Esq. (1782-1829), and a younger sister, Frances Horner (1789-1876) who married Myles Byrne.
He was educated at the High School in Edinburgh under Dr Alexander Adam. He then spent a year at a private school in Shacklewell near London under John Hewlett.
He then studied law at University of Edinburgh, where he was praised by Professor Dugald Stewart as an intellectual all-rounder. He left the university in 1795 and went with Rev. John Hewlett to Middlesex, where he almost lost his Scottish accent. He was also a member of the Speculative Society (with Henry Brougham) and the Academy of Physics, the Chemical and Literary societies, as well as others.
He qualified as an advocate in Scotland in 1800 but after a few years of practice went to London to train for the English bar at Lincoln's Inn and qualified there in 1807.
In 1802, Horner was one of the founders (with Francis Jeffrey) of the Edinburgh Review, and in the next few years he would contribute fourteen articles to that journal. He features as the character Frank the Tinker in John Paterson's Mare, James Hogg's allegorical satire on the Edinburgh publishing scene first published in the Newcastle Magazine in 1825.
Through his involvement with the Edinburgh Review, Horner became acquainted with fellow Whig journalists. In 1807 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were Sir James Hall, John Playfair and Thomas Allan.
Political career: 1806–1817
Horner was MP for St. Ives in 1806, Wendover in 1807, and St. Mawes in 1812 (in the patronage of the Marquis of Buckingham).
He translated Leonhard Euler's Elements of Algebra in 1797 and revised Henry Bennet's Short Account of a late Short Administration for publication in 1807.
Horner was offered a Treasury secretaryship in 1811 when Lord Grenville was attempting to form a ministry, which he refused as he would not accept office until he was wealthy enough to survive out of office. A believer in political economy, he criticised the Corn Laws and slavery in 1813–15. On 20 March 1815 the City of London voted thanks to him for his critique of protectionism.
On 1 February 1810 he moved for a committee on inquiry into the high price of bullion. He subsequently was appointed chairman of the Bullion Committee, where he "extended and confirmed his fame as a political economist by his share in the famous Bullion Report". The committee produced its report on 8 June (but not published until August). On 20 February 1811 Horner advocated the repeal of restrictions on cash payments and on 6 May put forward sixteen resolutions in favour but they were countered on 26 June by government counter-resolutions. Horner believed the two-party system hindered the rational debate of sensible policy solutions which prevented ideas being debated on their merits.
In 1808 he supported the Spanish uprising against Napoleon.
Horner further claimed that the British war policy should be based on "the principles by which Elizabeth was guided, and afterwards King William; forbearing all little bye objects of gain and aggrandisement, and keeping steadily in view, through all fortunes and in the lowest depth of our despair, the ultimate partition of the Continent into independent states, and the revival of a public law in Europe".
After Napoleon's defeat in 1814, he criticised the peace settlement as "the plunder of Europe" by the "robbers of Vienna". After Napoleon escaped from Elba and became ruler of France again, Horner was against the resumption of war and the tax burden needed to pay for it. He also opposed the Bourbon restoration in France and Naples. This led to disagreements with the Grenvillite faction and on 8 April he offered to resign his seat but was persuaded not to by Lord Grenville. On 28 April he voted for Samuel Whitbread's peace motion and again considered resignation but decided not to. After Napoleon's defeat he again opposed a conservative peace settlement, the expensive military establishment and the heavy tax burden that it entailed.
Horner's proposed Bill for regulation grand juries on indictments in Ireland was passed in 1816 and Grand Jury (Ireland) Act 1816 became law. His proposal on 1 May to end the renewal of the Bank Restrictions Act was defeated in the Commons by 146 votes to 73, as was his proposals to authorise cash payments in two years' time.
Death
In October 1816 his physicians advised him to visit Italy due to ill health. He resided in Pisa from December 1816 and died there a few months later. He is buried in the Old English Cemetery at Livorno and has a statue in Westminster Abbey by the sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey.
He never married and had no children.
