William Webb Follett
Sir William Webb Follett (2 December 1796 – 28 June 1845), was an English lawyer and politician.
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[edit] Background and education
Follett was born at Topsham in Devon, the son of Captain Benjamin Follett, who had retired from the army in 1790 and gone into business, and his wife Ann Webb, daughter of John Webb.[1] His younger brother was Brent Spencer Follett.[1] Follett received his education at Exeter grammar school and Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1818.[2]
[edit] Career
Follett had entered the Inner Temple in 1816 and began to practise as a pleader below the bar in 1821, but was called to the bar in 1824, and joined the western circuit in 1825. In 1835 he was returned to parliament for Exeter. In parliament he early distinguished himself, and under the first administration of Sir Robert Peel was appointed Solicitor-General (November 1834); but resigned with the ministry in April 1835. In. the course of this year he was knighted. On the return of Peel to power in 1841 Follett was again appointed Solicitor-General, and in April 1844 he succeeded Sir Frederick Pollock as Attorney-General.
[edit] Personal life
Follett married the eldest daughter of Sir Ambrose Harding Gifford, chief justice of Ceylon, in 1830. His health had begun to fail him in 1838, and had been permanently injured by a severe illness in 1841. In 1845 it broke down, and he was compelled to relinquish practice and to visit the south of Europe. He returned to England in March 1845; but the disease, tuberculosis, reasserted itself, and he died in London on the 28th of June following. A statue of Follett, executed by Behnes, was erected by subscription in Westminster Abbey.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Dod, Charles Roger Phipps (1852). The Parliamentarian Companion (2nd ed.). London: Whitaker and Co.. pp. 178.
- ^ Venn, J.; Venn, J. A., eds. (1922–1958). "Follett, William Webb". Alumni Cantabrigienses (10 vols) (online ed.). Cambridge University Press.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
[edit] External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir William Webb Follett
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Wentworth Buller Edward Divett |
Member of Parliament for Exeter 1835 – 1845 With: Edward Divett |
Succeeded by Sir John Duckworth, Bt Edward Divett |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir Robert Rolfe |
Solicitor-General for England and Wales 1834–1835 |
Succeeded by Sir Robert Rolfe |
| Preceded by Sir Thomas Wilde |
Solicitor-General for England and Wales 1841–1844 |
Succeeded by Sir Frederic Thesiger |
| Preceded by Sir Frederick Pollock |
Attorney-General for England and Wales 1844–1845 |
Succeeded by Sir Frederic Thesiger |
