Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet facts for kids
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Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet (1774–1849) was an important Scottish politician and businessman. He came from a family in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was known for his work in India and his time as a Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom.
Contents
Early Life and Business in India
Sir Charles Forbes studied at Aberdeen University in Scotland. After finishing his studies, he traveled to India. There, he became the leader of a major trading company called Forbes & Co. in Bombay (now Mumbai). He was highly respected in the business world for being smart, forward-thinking, and honest.
Political Career in Britain
When Sir Charles returned to England, he became a Member of Parliament (MP). This meant he helped make laws for the country. He represented the town of Beverley from 1812 to 1818. Later, he represented Malmesbury until 1832.
As an MP, he was respected by everyone. He was known for his strong sense of fairness and honesty. Even though he was a "Tory" (a member of a political group that liked tradition), he always stood up for what he believed was right. He especially cared about helping people who were poor or treated unfairly.
Supporting Equal Rights
Sir Charles strongly supported "Catholic emancipation." This meant he believed that people who were Catholic should have the same rights as everyone else.
He was also one of the first people to say that women should have the right to vote. In 1831, he asked why women should be stopped from voting. He pointed out that women could already vote for leaders of the East India Company. He argued that if voting was about owning property, then it shouldn't matter if you were a man or a woman.
Views on the Reform Bill
Sir Charles was not a fan of the "Reform Bill" of 1831–1832. This bill was a big change to how people voted and which towns had MPs. He thought it was a bad idea and fought against it strongly. He even said he would leave Parliament if the bill passed.
Helping People in India
Sir Charles Forbes was especially famous for his work connected to India. He lived there for a long time and understood the people very well. He used a lot of his own money to help them.
In Parliament, he always spoke up for fairness for India. One of his last big actions was giving a lot of money to make sure people in Bengal had clean water all year round.
His good deeds were known all over India. When he left, the local people gave him a beautiful gift. Years later, they raised money to build a statue of him in the town hall of Bombay. This was a very special honor because he was the first person not in the government or military to receive a statue from the people of India.
Many important people in Bombay praised him. They said he helped their country's business grow and improved the lives of the local people. Sir Charles was also very generous with his own money, giving to many charities in Scotland.
Family Life
Sir Charles Forbes was known for being a kind and honest person. He became a Baronet in 1823, which is a special title.
He married Elizabeth Cotgrave in 1811. They had children, and after Sir Charles passed away in 1849, his second son, Charles, inherited his title. His daughter, Elizabeth, married Lord James Hay.
