Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Posts in The Copybook credited to ‘Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux’

Henry Brougham (1778-1868), 1st Baron Brougham (pronounced ‘broom’) and Vaux, was a Scottish lawyer and statesman, who campaigned for the abolition of slavery, for Parliamentary Reform and for free trade, which made him popular with the general public. He made far-reaching contributions to reform in education, helping to found University College, London, and as Lord Chancellor from 1830 to 1834 also to the the law and the criminal courts. Brougham won further applause in 1820 as defence counsel for Queen Caroline, when her husband King George IV (who as Prince Regent had forced her to keep to the Continent) began divorce proceedings in the most public and humiliating manner he could. Brougham also invented the horse-drawn carriage which bears his name.

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Counsel’s Duty to his Client by Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

When King George IV tried to divorce Queen Caroline with maximum embarrassment, her barrister warned that two could play at that game.

IN 1820, George, Prince of Wales (who had been Regent for his father since 1811) became King George IV. At once he began divorce proceedings against his estranged wife Caroline, who was living in Italy, and boasted he would expose her private life to public ridicule. Defence counsel Henry Brougham delicately reminded the House of Lords that George had a secret that would rock the monarchy — were it made public.

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Undaunted by Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux

Facing defeat at the General Election of 1812, Henry Brougham stood before the voters of Liverpool and made a spirited defence of liberty’s record.

In the 1812 General Election, Henry Brougham (pronounced ‘broom’) was one of two Whig candidates hoping to represent Liverpool. On the night before they went to polls, he addressed supporters with a last-minute plea to redouble their efforts, reminding them that Parliamentary democracy, the abolition of slavery and even peace in Europe all depended on their determination to keep fighting for liberty.

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