John Arthur Roebuck | |
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.JPG) Portrait of John Arthur Roebuck | |
| Born | John Arthur Roebuck (1802-12-28)28 December 1802 |
| Died | 30 November 1879(1879-11-30) (aged 76) Westminster, Middlesex, England |
| Political party | Radical (1832–1849) Independent Whig (1849–1859) Independent Liberal (1859–1879) |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Thomas Falconer (father-in-law) John Simpson (step-father) |
John Arthur Roebuck (28 December 1802 – 30 November 1879), English politician, was born atMadras, inIndia. He was raised in Canada, and moved to England in 1824, and became intimate with the leadingradical and utilitarian reformers. He was Member of Parliament (MP) forBath from 1832 to 1847, and MP for theSheffield constituency from 1849. He took up a general attitude of hostility to the government of the day, whatever it was, which he retained throughout his life. He twice came to public prominence: in 1838, when, although at the time without a seat in parliament, he appeared at the bar of theCommons to protest, in the name of theLegislative Assembly of Lower Canada, against the suspension of the constitution ofLower Canada; and in 1855, when, having overthrownLord Aberdeen's ministry by carrying a resolution for the appointment of a committee of inquiry into the mismanagement in theCrimean War, he presided over its proceedings.
John Arthur Roebuck was born atMadras in 1801, was fifth son of Ebenezer Roebuck, a civil servant in India, and a grandson of the inventorJohn Roebuck. He was taken to England in 1807 following the death of his father. His mother remarried, toJohn Simpson, and the family emigrated toLower Canada, where he was educated. His step-father was active in politics, being a member of theLegislative Assembly of Lower Canada and later of theLegislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
Roebuck returned to England in 1824, and was entered at theInner Temple, and called to the bar in 1831. In 1834, he married Henrietta Falconer, a daughter ofThomas Falconer. In 1835 he became the agent in England for theLegislative Assembly of Lower Canada during the dispute between the executive government and the Legislative Assembly.[1] In 1838, although at the time without a seat in Parliament, he appeared at the bar of theCommons to protest, in the name of the Lower Canada Assembly, against the suspension of the constitution ofLower Canada.[2] In 1843 he was appointedQueen's Counsel, and was elected a bencher of his inn.[1]
He was elected as a member of Parliament forBath in 1832, declaring himself "an independent member of that house". A disciple ofJeremy Bentham and a friend ofJohn Stuart Mill, Roebuck professed advanced political opinions, which he resolved to uphold in the House of Commons.[1] In general, he took up an attitude of hostility to the government of the day, whatever it was, which he retained throughout his life.[2] He attacked everyone who differed from him with such vehemence as to earn the nickname of "Tear 'em." He was never sympathetic with theWhigs, and never let an opportunity go to exhibit his contempt for them. In 1852, he wrote "The whigs, have ever been an exclusive and aristocratic faction, though at times employing democratic principles and phrases as weapons of offence against their opponents. ... When out of office they are demagogues; in power they become exclusive oligarchs".[1]
He opposed the use ofcoercion in Ireland; advocated the abolition ofsinecures; and proposed withdrawing the veto from theHouse of Lords. In 1835 he collected in a volume a series ofPamphlets for the People in support of his political views. In one of his pamphlets Roebuck denounced newspapers and everybody connected with them. As a result,John Black, the then editor ofThe Morning Chronicle, challenged him to a duel which was fought on 19 November 1835. Neither party was injured. He failed to be re-elected for Bath in 1837, but he regained the seat in 1841.[1]
In 1843, he proposed a motion in favour of secular education, which was rejected. In the debate on the Irish Colleges Bill, he taunted the Irish supporters of the bill with such bitterness thatJohn Patrick Somers, MP forSligo, threatened to challenge him to a duel. In April 1844 Roebuck defended the Home SecretarySir James Graham from various charges, and was denounced byGeorge Smythe, 7th Viscount Strangford, as the "Diogenes of Bath," whose actions were always contradictory. Roebuck's reply to this led to Smythe demanding a duel or a retraction.[1]
Roebuck lost his seat in thegeneral election of 1847. He spent some of his time in writingA Plan for Governing our English Colonies, which was published in 1849. He was returned to parliament for theSheffield constituency in a by-election in 1849.[1]
Roebuck championed a vigorous foreign policy. In 1850 he moved a strongly worded vote of confidence inLord Palmerston's recent foreign policy, following theDon Pacifico affair. In 1854 he defended theCrimean War; but the inefficiency which soon became apparent in carrying it on excited his disgust.[1] In 1855, when, having overthrownLord Aberdeen's ministry by carrying a resolution for the appointment of a committee of inquiry into the mismanagement in the Crimean War, he presided over its proceedings.[2] During theAmerican Civil War he firmly championed the slave-holders of the South, boasting that Lord Palmerston had confessed to him that he was on the same side. In June 1863 Roebuck moved a resolution in the House of Commons calling for the Government to "enter into negotiations with the Great Powers of Europe, for the purpose of obtaining their co-operation in the recognition of the independence of theConfederate States of North America." During the debate on the motion Roebuck claimed to have recently received an audience with theEmperor of the French who he said had assured him that France stood ready to recognise the Confederacy if the United Kingdom would do likewise.[3] Roebuck later dropped the motion under pressure from the Government.[4] Roebuck also defendedAustrian rule in Italy.
In his latter years his political opinions became greatly modified.[2] A speech atSalisbury in 1862, in which he alleged that working men were spendthrifts and wife-beaters, made him unpopular for a time. He strongly denounced the trade unionistSheffield Outrages of 1867. These uncompromising attitudes led to Roebuck's rejection by Sheffield voters at theelection of 1868. He regained the seat in 1874. In 1878 he was made aprivy councillor by the Tory government. He died at Westminster, in 1879. He was survived by his wife and a daughter.[1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Roebuck, John Arthur".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 23 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 451.
Media related toJohn Arthur Roebuck at Wikimedia Commons| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBath 1832–1837 With:Charles Palmer | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forBath 1841–1847 With:Viscount Duncan | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSheffield 1849–1868 With:John Parker to 1852 George Hadfield from 1852 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSheffield 1874–1879 With:A. J. Mundella | Succeeded by |
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