Forster, William Edward

Forster, William Edward

▪ British statesman
born July 11, 1818, Bradpole, Dorset, Eng.
died April 5, 1886, London
 British statesman noted for his Education Act of 1870, which established in Great Britain the elements of a primary school system, and for his term (1880–82) as chief secretary for Ireland, where his repression of the radical Land League won him the nickname “Buckshot Forster.”

      Forster, born of Quaker parents, was a nephew of the philanthropist Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton and brother-in-law of the poet and scholar Matthew Arnold. A Liberal member of the House of Commons from 1861 until his death, he began in 1866 to demand universal education as an essential complement of parliamentary reform. In 1868 he was charged with preparing an elementary education bill, which was passed on Aug. 9, 1870, after a prolonged wrangle between Anglicans and Nonconformists over its religious clauses. This bill established the rudiments of a system of national education in Great Britain.

      When William Gladstone temporarily retired in January 1875, Forster was strongly supported for Liberal Party leadership in the House of Commons, but he yielded to the Marquess of Hartington (afterward 8th Duke of Devonshire). On Gladstone's return to the office of prime minister in 1880, Forster was made chief secretary for Ireland. As a radical he approved of extensive land-tenure reform in Ireland, but, faced with the violence of the Irish agricultural revolution, he called for parliamentary measures of coercion to maintain law and order—a policy that completely failed. He was exhausted by his frequent travels between Dublin and London; and in Ireland, from the autumn of 1881, his life was in constant danger. In March 1882, nevertheless, he visited some of the most turbulent districts to address angry tenant farmers. On May 2, 1882, when the British government agreed to release Charles Stewart Parnell and other Irish nationalist leaders from Kilmainham jail, Forster seized the occasion to resign.

      Four days later his successor, Lord Frederick Cavendish, was murdered by Irish terrorists in Phoenix Park, Dublin. Forster's offer to return as temporary chief secretary was declined. Later, he made several intemperate speeches on Irish personalities and issues, and he died an avowed opponent of Gladstone's policy of Home Rule for Ireland.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • FORSTER, WILLIAM EDWARD —    statesman, born at Bradpole, Dorset, son of a Quaker; entered upon a commercial career in a worsted manufactory at Bradford, but from the first politics engaged his paramount attention, and in 1861 he became member of Parliament for Bradford;… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • William Edward Forster — en 1851. William Edward Forster (11 de julio de 1818 ; 6 de abril de 1886) fue un magnate, filántropo y político británico recordado principalmente por haber impulsado la ley de 1870 …   Wikipedia Español

  • William Edward Forster — William Edward Forster, FRS (July 11, 1818 ndash; April 6, 1886) was a British industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman, MP for Bradford.Born to William and Ann Forster, Quaker parents at Bradpole in Dorset, he was educated at… …   Wikipedia

  • William Bligh — (* wahrscheinlich am 9. September 1754 in Plymouth; † 7. Dezember 1817 in London) war britischer Seeoffizier und Gouverneur von New South Wales in Australien. Bekannt wurde er durch die Meuterei auf dem unter seinem Befehl stehenden Schiff Bounty …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Forster (disambiguation) — William Forster most often refers to William Forster (1818–1882), Premier of New South Wales and poet.It may also refer to:*William Forster (philanthropist) (1784 1854) Quaker preacher and philanthropist *William Edward Forster (1818–1886),… …   Wikipedia

  • William Delafield Arnold — (1828 1859) was a British author and colonial administrator.He was the fourth son of Thomas Arnold, the headmaster of Rugby School. His older brothers included the poet and critic Matthew Arnold and the literary scholar Tom Arnold. William served …   Wikipedia

  • Forster Square, Bradford — was a square in central Bradford that disappeared in the current (2006) Broadway development, but gives its name to Bradford Forster Square railway station and a retail park. History Forster Square was built in the late 19th century at the bottom …   Wikipedia

  • Forster [2] — Forster, 1) Johann Reinhold, Reisender und Naturforscher, geb. 22. Okt. 1729 zu Dirschau in Westpreußen, gest. 9. Dez. 1798 in Halle, studierte daselbst 1748–51 Theologie, daneben alte und neue Sprachen und wurde 1753 Prediger zu Nassenhuben bei… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • William Forster (philanthropist) — Infobox Person name = William Forster image size = 240px caption = William between two fellow abolitionists (George Stacey and William Morgan) in a detail from a painting. birth name = birth date = 1784 [http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait …   Wikipedia

  • William Forster (judge) — Sir William Edward Stanley Forster (15 June 1921 31 January 1997) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory holding that position from 1979 to 1985. Before that he was the first (and only) Chief Judge from 1977 to …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”