Samuel Whitbread (1764–1815)
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Samuel Whitbread (18 January 1764 – 6 July 1815) was a British politician.
Early life
Whitbread was born in Cardington, Bedfordshire, the son of the brewer Samuel Whitbread. He was educated at Eton College, Christ Church, Oxford, and St John's College, Cambridge,[1] after which he embarked on a European 'Grand Tour', visiting Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Prussia, France and Italy. He returned to England in May 1786 and joined his father's successful brewing business.
Member of Parliament
Whitbread was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford in 1790, a post he held for twenty-three years. Whitbread was a reformer — a champion of religious and civil rights, for the abolition of slavery, and a proponent of a national education system. He was a close friend and colleague of Charles James Fox. After Fox's death, Whitbread took over the leadership of the Whigs, and in 1805 led the campaign to have Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, removed from office.
Whitbread admired Napoleon and his reforms in France and Europe. He hoped that many of Napoleon's reforms would be implemented in Britain. Throughout the Peninsular War he played down French defeats convinced that sooner or later Napoleon would triumph, and he did all he could to bring about a withdrawal of Britain from the continent. When Napoleon abdicated in 1814 he was devastated. Whitbread began to suffer from depression, and on the morning of 6 July 1815, he committed suicide by cutting his throat with a razor.
Family
Whitbread married Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of the first Earl Grey on 26 December 1787. Their sons William Henry Whitbread and Samuel Charles Whitbread were also Members of Parliament.
Samuel Whitbread Academy in Central Bedfordshire, England, is named after him.[2]
References
- ^ "Whitbread (WHTT782S)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Bedfordshire County Council: The Whitbread Family". www.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
Further reading
- Fulford, Roger. Samuel Whitbread, 1764-1815: A study in opposition, MacMillan, 1967. (ISBN B0000CNFHB)
External links
- Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
- Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- People educated at Eton College
- People from Bedford
- British politicians who committed suicide
- Suicides by sharp instrument in the United Kingdom
- British MPs 1790–96
- British MPs 1796–1800
- UK MPs 1801–02
- UK MPs 1802–06
- UK MPs 1806–07
- UK MPs 1807–12
- UK MPs 1812–18
- 1764 births
- 1815 deaths
- English brewers