1. Lewis Gompertz was an English activist, philosopher, writer, and inventor.
18 Facts About Lewis Gompertz
1. 2.
Lewis Gompertz dedicated his life to promoting animal rights and welfare, and veganism.
3.
Lewis Gompertz received an informal education due to being barred from university for his religion.
4.
Lewis Gompertz dedicated his life to animal rights, promoting veganism and the humane treatment of animals through his 1824 book, Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes.
5.
Lewis Gompertz then established the Animals' Friend Society with T Forster, advocating for animal welfare until his retirement from public life in 1846.
6.
An inventive mechanical engineer, Lewis Gompertz created numerous devices to reduce animal suffering, publishing his works on inventions and animal protection.
7.
Lewis Gompertz died of bronchitis at the age of 77.
8.
Lewis Gompertz was born into a large and wealthy Jewish family of diamond merchants in London.
9.
Lewis Gompertz was the younger brother of mathematician and actuary Benjamin Gompertz, and poet Isaac Gompertz.
10.
Lewis Gompertz married Ann Hollaman at St Leonard's, Shoreditch, on 12 December 1809.
11.
Lewis Gompertz devoted his life to the alleviation of animal suffering, arguing that it was morally indefensible to kill animals or use them in ways not directly beneficial to them.
12.
Lewis Gompertz refused to wear leather or silk and opposed hunting and animal experimentation.
13.
Lewis Gompertz's views were collected in his 1824 book Moral Inquiries on the Situation of Man and of Brutes, which combined philosophical dialogues, moral theorems, and suggestions to improve the conditions of animals.
14.
Lewis Gompertz was a founding member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, later known as the RSPCA, attending its inaugural meeting in 1824.
15.
Lewis Gompertz edited the society's journal, Animals' Friend, or, The Progress of Humanity, from 1833 to 1841.
16.
Lewis Gompertz's work was featured in various publications, including the Mechanics Journal and Animals Friend, and culminated in his compendium Mechanical Inventions and Suggestions on Land and Water Locomotion and Fragments in Defence of Animals.
17.
Lewis Gompertz died of bronchitis at the age of 77 on 2 December 1861 at his home in Kennington, London.
18.
Lewis Gompertz was buried beside his wife in the graveyard of Kennington Church.