20 Facts About Henry Fawcett

Henry Fawcett was a British academic, statesman and economist.

Henry Fawcett was born in Salisbury where his father was a gentleman farmer.

Henry Fawcett was educated at the Agricultural College, Queenwood, at King's College School and the University of Cambridge: entering Peterhouse in 1852, he migrated to Trinity Hall the following year, and became a fellow there in 1856, the year he graduated BA as 7th Wrangler.

Henry Fawcett was able to enter Lincoln's Inn, but decided against a career as a barrister and took his name off their books in 1860.

Henry Fawcett became a student of John Stuart Mill and wrote a Manual of Political Economy in 1863.

Two years later, Henry Fawcett reportedly attended the 1860 Oxford evolution debate, during which he was asked whether he thought Bishop Samuel Wilberforce had actually read the Origin of Species.

Reportedly, Henry Fawcett replied loudly, "Oh no, I would swear he has never read a word of it".

At the next meeting of the British Association in Manchester, Henry Fawcett defended the logic behind Charles Darwin's theories.

In 1863, Henry Fawcett published his Manual of Political Economy and became Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge.

Henry Fawcett made himself a recognised authority on economics, his works on which include The Economic Position of the British Labourer and Labour and Wages.

Henry Fawcett held this seat until 1874, and thereafter represented Hackney between 1874 and 1884.

Henry Fawcett had a particular interest in encouraging saving through the Post Office Savings Bank.

Henry Fawcett introduced the savings stamp which allowed people to save pennies at a time to build up the minimum account limit of a shilling.

Henry Fawcett pushed through parliament an act to allow savers to convert their post office savings to government stock and he developed the post office's life insurance and annuities schemes.

Henry Fawcett introduced many other innovations, including parcel post, postal orders, and licensing changes to permit payphones and trunk lines.

Henry Fawcett rejected the proposal to concentrate on becoming a doctor at a time when female doctors were extremely rare.

Henry Fawcett's career was cut short by his premature death from pleurisy in November 1884, aged 51.

Henry Fawcett is buried in Trumpington Extension Cemetery, Cambridge where several members of the family of Charles Darwin are buried, including Sir George Darwin, Lady Maud Darwin, and Gwen Raverat.

Henry Fawcett is listed amongst the important British Reformers on the "Reformers Memorial" in the centre of the eastmost oval section in Kensal Green Cemetery.

Fawcett Primary School in Trumpington, Cambridge, was opened in 1949 and named after Henry Fawcett who lived nearby.