Samuel Laing | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Samuel Laing byPieter Van Havermaet, 1872 | |
| Member of Parliament forOrkney and Shetland | |
| In office 1873–1885 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Dundas |
| Succeeded by | Leonard Lyell |
| Member of Parliament forWick Burghs | |
| In office 1865–1868 | |
| Preceded by | Viscount Bury |
| Succeeded by | George Loch |
| In office 1859–1860 | |
| Preceded by | Lord John Hay |
| Succeeded by | Viscount Bury |
| In office 1852–1857 | |
| Preceded by | James Loch |
| Succeeded by | Lord John Hay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 December 1812[1] |
| Died | 6 August 1897 (1897-08-07) (aged 84) |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Malcolm Laing(uncle) |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Railway administrator, politician, writer |
| Awards | Smith's Prize(1832) |
Samuel Laing (12 December 1812 – 6 August 1897) was a British railway administrator, politician, and writer on science and religion during theVictorian era.
Samuel Laing was born on 12 December 1812 inEdinburgh.[1] His father, also calledSamuel Laing (1780–1868), was a well-known author, whose books onNorway andSweden attracted much attention. Laing the Younger's uncle was historianMalcolm Laing. Laing the Younger enteredSt John's College, Cambridge in 1827, and after graduating asSecond Wrangler andSmith's Prizeman, was elected a fellow.[2] He remained at Cambridge temporarily as a mathematics coach, before being called to the bar in 1837.[1]
He became private secretary toHenry Labouchere, later 1st Baron Taunton, who was then thePresident of the Board of Trade. In 1842, he was made secretary to the railway department, and retained this post until 1847. He had by then become an authority on railways, and had been a member of the Dalhousie Railway Commission; it was at his suggestion that the "parliamentary" rate of a penny a mile was instituted. In 1848, he was appointed chairman and managing director of theLondon, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR), and his business acumen showed itself in the largely increased prosperity of the line. He also became chairman (1852) ofThe Crystal Palace Company, but retired from both posts in 1855.[citation needed]
In 1852, he was elected toParliament as aLiberal Party candidate inWick Burghs. After losing his seat in 1857, he was re-elected in 1859, and appointedFinancial Secretary to the Treasury; in 1860 he was madefinance minister in India. On returning from India, he was re-elected to parliament for Wick in 1865. He was defeated in 1868, but in 1873 he was returned forOrkney and Shetland, and retained his seat until 1885. Early in 1867 he was elected to the board of theGreat Eastern Railway who by that point were sliding towards receivership. On 1 July, the day before the GER went into receivership, he was reappointed chairman of the Brighton line, which was now on the point of bankruptcy following the over-ambitious expansion plans of the previous chairman. He continued in that post until 1896, and gradually restored the company to financial health.[3] He was also chairman of theRailwayDebenture Trust and theRailwayShare Trust.[4]
In later life, he became well known as an author, hisModern Science and Modern Thought (1885),Problems of the Future (1889) andHuman Origins (1892) being widely read, not only by reason of the writer's influential position, experience of affairs and clear style, but also through their popular and at the same time well-informed treatment of the scientific problems of the day. Laing's attitude was generally positive towards new developments in science, and he offered an optimistic vision of progressive modernity. He also wrote on religion. His bookA Modern Zoroastrian argued that the ancient religion ofZoroastrianism was more consistent with modern scientific thought than was traditional Christianity. He argued that the "all pervading principle of polarity" that was central Zoroastrian thought has been confirmed by science, and that modern Christianity should abandon its traditional theology to centre on the figure of Jesus as an ideal of humanity.
Laing married Mary Dickson (née Cowan) (1819–1902). Together, they were the parents of eleven children:[5]
Laing was often claimed to have been the father of the novelistMary Eliza Kennard (1850–1936).[8] This issue is still in dispute.[9] However birth entries at the General Register Office for her sons Lionel Edward Kennard and Malcolm Alfred Kennard both have Laing as the mother's maiden name. Furthermore, the transcribed parish record entry for her marriage to Edward Kennard on 19 April 1870 at Saint Nicholas church, Brighton gives her name as Mary Eliza Laing, daughter of Samuel Laing.[citation needed]
Laing died on 6 August 1897 at his home inSydenham, England and was buried in the Brighton Extramural Cemetery.[1]
Works by or aboutSamuel Laing atWikisource
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWick Burghs 1852–1857 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWick Burghs 1859–1860 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWick Burghs 1865–1868 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forOrkney and Shetland 1873–1885 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1859–1860 | Succeeded by |
| Business positions | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Board of Directors of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway 1848–1855 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Board of Directors of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway 1867–1896 | Succeeded by |
Media related toSamuel Laing at Wikimedia Commons