A portrait of William Huskisson.

William Huskisson (11 March 1770 Р15 September 1830), was a British statesman, financier, and Member of Parliament for several constituencies, including Liverpool. He is best known today, however, as the world's first railway casualty, having been accidentally killed by George Stephenson's locomotive engine Rocket. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the village in Queensland, see 1770, Queensland. ... is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eug̬ne Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Statesman is a respectful term used to refer to politicians, and other notable figures of state. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Liverpool was a Borough constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of England to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. ... George Stephenson George Stephenson For the British politician, see George Stevenson. ... A contemporary drawing of Rocket Rocket as preserved in the Science Museum, London. ...

Biography

The statue pictured is not of William Huskisson but, is in fact the depiction of a Roman in a Toga, "standing guard" over William Huskisson's grave. Whilst the statue is a marvelous and stately work of art, neither the artist nor the widow of William Huskisson intended the statue to portray his likeness. The artist is John Gibson a descendant of William's half-brother, Thomas Huskisson. The statue is in Pimlico Gardens, London.

William Huskisson was born at Birtsmorton Court, Worcestershire. In 1783, he was sent to Paris to live with his maternal great-uncle Dr. Richard Gem, who was physician to the British embassy there. He remained in Paris until 1792, and his experience as an eyewitness to the prelude and beginning of the French Revolution gave him a life-long interest in politics. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 410 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1233 × 1801 pixels, file size: 882 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Statue of William Huskisson by John Gibson in Pimlico Gardens, London. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 410 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1233 × 1801 pixels, file size: 882 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Statue of William Huskisson by John Gibson in Pimlico Gardens, London. ... John Gibson, (June 19, 1790 - January 27, 1866), British sculptor, was born near Conway in 1790, his father being a market gardener. ... Birtsmorton Court is a medieval moated manor house near Malvern in Worcestershire. ... Worcestershire (pronounced ; abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

Huskisson first came to public notice while still in Paris. As a supporter of the moderate party, he became a member of the "Club of 1789," which favoured making France into a constitutional monarchy. On 29 August 1790, he delivered a speech entitled "Sur les Assignats", about the issue of assignats by the French government. This speech gave him a reputation as an expert in finance. Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Assignats were banknotes issued by the National Constituent Assembly in France during the French Revolution. ...

From 1790 to 1792, the Marquess of Stafford was the British ambassador to Paris. Huskisson became a protégé of the Marquess, and returned to London with him. Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, 2nd Earl Gower (4 August 1721 - 26 October 1803) was a British politician. ...

Once in London, Huskisson quickly gained an additional two powerful political patrons: Henry Dundas, the Home Secretary, and William Pitt the Younger, the Prime Minister. Because of Huskisson's fluency in French, Dundas appointed him in January 1793 to oversee the execution of the Aliens Act, which mostly dealt with French refugees. Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (April 28, 1742 - May 28, 1811) was a British statesman. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office and is responsible for internal affairs in England and Wales, and for immigration and citizenship for the whole United Kingdom (including Scotland and Northern Ireland). ... William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... Year 1793 (MDCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In the discharge of his delicate duties, he manifested such ability that in 1795 he was appointed Under-Secretary at War (the Secretary at War's deputy). In the following year he entered parliament as member for Morpeth, but for a considerable period he took scarcely any part in the debates. In 1800 he inherited a fortune from Dr Gem. On the retirement of Pitt in 1801 he resigned office, and after contesting Dover unsuccessfully he withdrew for a time into private life. Having in 1804 been chosen to represent Liskeard, he was on the restoration of the Pitt ministry appointed secretary of the treasury, holding office till the dissolution of the ministry after the death of Pitt in January 1806. Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for War, 1794-1966 1794: Sir Evan Nepean, Bt 1795: William Huskisson In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged. ... The Secretary at War was a position with some responsibility over the administration of the British military. ... Morpeth was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Dover is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished. ... William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ... In the United Kingdom, there are at least five Secretaries to the Treasury, officials officially acting as secretaries to the Treasury board. ...

After being elected for Harwich in 1807, he accepted the same office under the Duke of Portland, but he withdrew from the ministry along with Canning in 1809. In the following year he published a pamphlet on the currency system, which confirmed his reputation as the ablest financier of his time; but his free-trade principles did not accord with those of his party. In 1812 he was returned for Chichester. When in 1814 he re-entered the public service, it was only as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests, but his influence was from this time very great in the commercial and financial legislation of the country. He took a prominent part in the corn-law debates of 1814 and 1815; and in 1819 he presented a memorandum to Lord Liverpool advocating a large reduction in the unfunded debt, and explaining a method for the resumption of cash payments, which was embodied in the act passed the same year. In 1821 he was a member of the committee appointed to inquire into the causes of the agricultural distress then prevailing, and the proposed relaxation of the corn laws embodied in the report was understood to have been chiefly due to his strenuous advocacy. Harwich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (April 14, 1738 – October 30, 1809) was a British Whig and Tory statesman, Chancellor of Oxford University and Prime Minister. ... George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... Chichester is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Commission of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues was established in the United Kingdom in 1810 by merging the former offices of Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases and Surveyor General of the Land Revenue of the Crown into a three-man commission. ... Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (June 7, 1770 - December 4, 1828) was a British statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. ... Year 1821 (MDCCCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Corn Laws, in force between 1815 and 1846, were import tariffs ostensibly designed to protect British farmers and landowners against competition from cheap foreign grain imports. ...

In 1823 he was appointed president of the board of trade and treasurer of the navy, and shortly afterwards he received a seat in the cabinet. In the same year he was returned for Liverpool as successor to Canning, and as the only man who could reconcile the Tory merchants to a free trade policy. Among the more important legislative changes with which he was principally connected were a reform of the Navigation Acts, admitting other nations to a full equality and reciprocity of shipping duties; the repeal of the labour laws; the introduction of a new sinking fund; the reduction of the duties on manufactures and on the importation of foreign goods, and the repeal of the quarantine duties. In accordance with his suggestion Canning in 1827 introduced a measure on the corn laws proposing the adoption of a sliding scale to regulate the amount of duty. A misapprehension between Huskisson and the Duke of Wellington led to the duke proposing an amendment, the success of which caused the abandonment of the measure by the government. 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The President of the Board of Trade the title of a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. ... A notable office in British government between the 16th and early 19th centuries, the Treasurer of the Navy was responsible for the financial maintenance of the Royal Navy. ... Liverpool was a Borough constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of England to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. ... For other uses, see Tory (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ...

Huskisson monument

After the death of Canning in the same year Huskisson accepted the secretaryship of the colonies under Lord Goderich, an office which he continued to hold in the new cabinet formed by the Duke of Wellington in the following year. After succeeding with great difficulty in inducing the cabinet to agree to a compromise on the corn laws, Huskisson finally resigned office in May 1828 on account of a difference with his colleagues in regard to the disfranchisement of East Retford. He was followed out of the government by other Tories who are usually described as Canningites including Lord Palmerston, Charles Grant, Lord Dudley, and Lord Melbourne. Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1360 KB)Monument to William Huskisson (currently fenced off), photograph taken by Lmno on 9 Oct 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (2304x1728, 1360 KB)Monument to William Huskisson (currently fenced off), photograph taken by Lmno on 9 Oct 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). ... The Right Honourable Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon PC (November 1, 1782 – January 28, 1859), Frederick John Robinson until 1827, The Viscount Goderich 1827–1833, and The Earl of Ripon 1833 onwards, was a British statesman and Prime Minister (when he was known as Lord Goderich). ... East Retford was a parliamentary constituency in Nottinghamshire, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons for the first time in 1316, and continuously from 1572 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished. ... Canningites was the name used for those Tories in Great Britain who belonged to the moderate wing of the party and considered themselves supporters of the then Foreign Secretary George Canning in the 1820s. ... The Right Honourable Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (October 20, 1784 - October 18, 1865) was a British statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid 19th century. ... This article is about the Scottish politician. ... John William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley (1781—1833), became the 4th Viscount Dudley and Ward in 1823. ... Arms of Lord Melbourne William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, PC (15 March 1779–24 November 1848) was a British Whig statesman who served as Home Secretary (1830-1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835-1841), and a mentor of Queen Victoria. ...

Death

Huskisson was the first person in history to be fatally injured in a railway accident.

While attending the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Huskisson rode down the line in the same train as the Duke of Wellington. At Parkside, close to Newton-le-Willows in Lancashire, the train stopped to observe a cavalcade on the adjacent line. Several members of the Duke's party stepped onto the trackside to observe more closely. Huskisson went forward to greet the Duke. As Huskisson was exiting his car, the locomotive Rocket approached on the parallel track. Huskisson was unable to get out of the engine's way in time, and his left leg was crushed by it. Inaugural journey of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the worlds first intercity passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and operated for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ... For the village, see Newton-le-Willows, North Yorkshire. ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... A contemporary drawing of Rocket Rocket as preserved in the Science Museum, London. ...

After the accident, the wounded Huskisson was taken by a train (driven by George Stephenson himself) to Eccles, where he died a few hours later. George Stephenson George Stephenson For the British politician, see George Stevenson. ... Location within the British Isles Eccles is a Small Town in the northwest of England that is in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford but not, traditionally, part of Salford. ...

A curious fact about Huskisson is that some years before his death, he narrowly escaped being killed when a horse fell on him during his honeymoon.

Family history

William Huskisson was the son of William and Elizabeth Huskisson of Staffordshire stock. He was one of four brothers. After their mother Elizabeth died, their father William eventually remarried and had further children by his second wife. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ...

On 6 April 1799, William Huskisson married Emily Milbanke, the youngest daughter of Admiral Mark Milbanke, the commander-in-chief at Portsmouth. Emily Huskisson survived her husband and remained a widow until her death in April 1856. They had no children. is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Port Admiral was a positional rank, now apparently defunct, in the British Royal Navy. ... Sir Mark Milbanke (April 12, 1724 – June 9, 1805) naval officer and colonial governor born Halnaby Hall, England and died London, England. ... For other places with the same name, see Portsmouth (disambiguation). ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

William Huskisson's half-brother Thomas Huskisson was a captain of the Royal Navy, an eyewitness of Trafalgar, and was appointed as the Paymaster of the Navy. Thomas Huskisson (1784-1844) was an officer in the Royal Navy. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... Combatants United Kingdom First French Empire Kingdom of Spain Commanders Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson † Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve Strength 27 ships of the line and 6 others. ...

Major offices

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn (1762–1837) was an English soldier and penis politician. ... George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle (17 September 1773 - 7 October 1848) was an English statesman. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Morpeth was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle (17 September 1773 - 7 October 1848) was an English statesman. ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP Lord Speaker Hélène Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Morpeth was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle (17 September 1773 - 7 October 1848) was an English statesman. ... George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle (17 September 1773 - 7 October 1848) was an English statesman. ... William Henry Ord (2 January 1781 – 28 July 1855) was an English Whig[1] politician and landowner, the son of William Ord and Eleanor Brandling. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished. ... James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton (Petersham Lodge, Surrey, 7 October 1786 – 27 May 1814, Mayfair) was a British nobleman and politician, the eldest son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Abercorn. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Harwich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (29 April 1766-8 February 1851), English politician, was the fifth son of Henry Vansittart (d. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Chichester is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Charles Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and Lennox (3 August 1791 - 21 October 1860) was an English politician and a prominent Conservative. ... Isaac Gascoyne (about 17631 - 26 August 1841) was a British Tory politician. ... George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Liverpool was a Borough constituency in the county of Lancashire of the House of Commons for the Parliament of England to 1706 then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. ... Isaac Gascoyne (about 17631 - 26 August 1841) was a British Tory politician. ... Isaac Gascoyne (about 17631 - 26 August 1841) was a British Tory politician. ... William Ewart (1798-1869), English politician, was born in Liverpool on 1 May 1798. ... Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet (9 July 1751 or 1753 near Saltash, Cornwall - 1822) was a British politician and colonial administrator. ... Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State for War, 1794-1966 1794: Sir Evan Nepean, Bt 1795: William Huskisson In 1801 the offices for War and the Colonies were merged. ... Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (29 April 1766-8 February 1851), English politician, was the fifth son of Henry Vansittart (d. ... In the United Kingdom, there are at least five Secretaries to the Treasury, officials officially acting as secretaries to the Treasury board. ... Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (29 April 1766-8 February 1851), English politician, was the fifth son of Henry Vansittart (d. ... Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (29 April 1766-8 February 1851), English politician, was the fifth son of Henry Vansittart (d. ... In the United Kingdom, there are at least five Secretaries to the Treasury, officials officially acting as secretaries to the Treasury board. ... The Commission of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues was established in the United Kingdom in 1810 by merging the former offices of Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases and Surveyor General of the Land Revenue of the Crown into a three-man commission. ... Charles Arbuthnot (1767-1850) was a British Tory politician. ... The Right Honourable Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon PC (November 1, 1782 – January 28, 1859), Frederick John Robinson until 1827, The Viscount Goderich 1827–1833, and The Earl of Ripon 1833 onwards, was a British statesman and Prime Minister (when he was known as Lord Goderich). ... The President of the Board of Trade the title of a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. ... This article is about the Scottish politician. ... A notable office in British government between the 16th and early 19th centuries, the Treasurer of the Navy was responsible for the financial maintenance of the Royal Navy. ... The Right Honourable Frederick John Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon PC (November 1, 1782 – January 28, 1859), Frederick John Robinson until 1827, The Viscount Goderich 1827–1833, and The Earl of Ripon 1833 onwards, was a British statesman and Prime Minister (when he was known as Lord Goderich). ... The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). ... Sir George Murray (February 6, 1772 - July 26, 1846) was a British soldier and politician, the second son of Sir William Murray, 5th Baronet. ... George Canning (11 April 1770 – 8 August 1827) was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. ... For other people named Robert Peel, see Robert Peel (disambiguation). ...

References

• Brady, Alexander , William Huskisson and liberal reform; an essay on the changes in economic policy in the twenties of the nineteenth century, Oxford, OUP, 1928. (2nd ed. London, Cass, 1967).
• Fay, C. R., Huskisson and His Age. London : Longmans Green, 1951.
• The Last Journey of William Huskisson: The Day the Railway Came of Age; Simon Garfield (UK 2002); ISBN 0-571-21048-1
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

See also

• List of pre-1950 rail accidents
• Huskisson, New South Wales was named after William Huskisson.

For a list of 1950-1999 rail accidents, see List of 1950-1999 rail accidents. ... Huskisson is a town in New South Wales, Australia in Shoalhaven City, on the shores of Jervis Bay. ...

External links

• William Huskisson page on the Peel Web.
• The National Portrait Gallery has two portraits of William Huskisson.
• A Piece of Lowton History has information about Huskisson's death and memorial.