Charles Pelham Villiers (January 3 , 1802 –January 16 , 1898 ) was a British politician and lawyer of the 19th century . He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College and St John's College, Cambridge , becoming a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1827 . He was the grandson of the first earl of Clarendon (of the second creation - Villiers) and brother of the fourth earl. A statue of Villiers stands in West Park in Wolverhampton .
He held Benthamite political views, and enjoyed a long career in public service and Parliament . In 1832, he was a Poor Law Commissioner, and from 1833 to 1852, an official of the court of Chancery.
He served as an MP for Wolverhampton from 1835 to 1898 , during which time he worked towards free trade and opposed the Corn Laws and home rule for Ireland . He is noted as being the voice in parliament of the free trade movement before the election of Richard Cobden and John Bright . He also served as Judge-Advocate General, 1852 _1858 , Privy Councillor , 1853 , and President of the Poor Law board, 1859 _1866 . Also the Father of the House of Commons from 1890 -1898; however the last time he attended Parliament was in 1895 .