John Frederick Stanford facts for kids

John Frederick Stanford (1815–1880) was an English lawyer, writer, and politician. He was known for his work on dictionaries and for his generous donations to charities.

Early Life and Education

John Frederick Stanford was born in 1815. He was the youngest son of Major Francis William Stanford. His family came from County Mayo in Ireland. John had an older half-brother, Sir Robert Stanford.

John went to a famous school called Eton College. Later, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge and then Christ's College, Cambridge. He earned his first degree in 1838 and a master's degree in 1842.

Becoming a Lawyer and Politician

In 1841, John Stanford began studying law. He became a barrister, which is a type of lawyer, in 1844. That same year, he became a member of the Royal Society, a group that promotes science.

In 1849, John was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Reading. An MP is a person chosen to represent a group of people in the country's government. He was a member of the Conservative. He served as an MP until 1852.

His Lasting Impact

John Stanford left a lot of money to important causes.

The Stanford Dictionary

He gave £5,000 to the University of Cambridge. This money helped create a special dictionary. It was called Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised Words and Phrases. This dictionary explains words and phrases from other languages that have become part of English. John had worked on a similar dictionary himself for many years.

Not everyone at Cambridge agreed about accepting the money at first. But in the end, they voted to use it for the dictionary.

Charitable Gifts

John also gave a large sum of £25,000 to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. This hospital helps many people who are sick.

He also donated £5,000 to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). This organization saves lives at sea. His gift helped pay for a lifeboat named Mary Stanford, after his mother. There have been two lifeboats with this name: RNLB Mary Stanford (ON 661) and RNLB Mary Stanford (ON 733).

His Writings

John Stanford wrote several pamphlets. These were short books or essays about different topics. He wrote about political economy, which is how countries manage their money and resources.

His works included:

• Outlines of a Plan of National Education (1839)
• Rambles and Researches in Thuringian Saxony (1842)
• On the Suppression of Mendicancy in the Metropolis (1847) – this was a speech
• The Patriots of Italy: an Appeal in Their Behalf (1847)