26 Facts About Robert Lowe

Robert Lowe, 1st Viscount Sherbrooke, GCB, PC, British statesman, was a pivotal conservative spokesman who helped shape British politics in the latter half of the 19th century.

Robert Lowe held office under William Ewart Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1868 and 1873 and as Home Secretary between 1873 and 1874.

Robert Lowe repeatedly underestimated the revenue, enabling him to resist demands for tax cuts and to reduce the national debt instead.

Robert Lowe insisted that the tax system be fair to all classes.

Robert Lowe's mother was Ellen, the daughter of the Rev Reginald Pyndar.

Robert Lowe had albinism, and his sight was so weak that initially it was thought he was unfit to be sent to school.

Robert Lowe then attended University College, Oxford, and enjoyed the change; there as a pupil of Benjamin Jowett he gained a first class degree in Literae Humaniores and a second class in mathematics, besides taking a leading part in the Union debates.

Robert Lowe was for a few years a successful tutor at Oxford, but in 1838 was disappointed at not being elected to the professorship of Greek at the University of Glasgow.

In 1841 Robert Lowe moved to London to read for the Bar, but his eyesight showed signs of serious weakness, and, acting on medical advice, he sailed to Sydney in the colony of New South Wales, where he set to work in the law courts.

Robert Lowe held that seat until 20 June 1848 and was elected for City of Sydney in July 1848, a seat he held until November 1849.

Robert Lowe soon made his mark in the political world by his clever speeches, particularly on finance and education; and besides obtaining a large legal practice, he was involved with the founding and was one of the principal writers for the Atlas newspaper.

In 1844, Robert Lowe defended a Royal Navy captain, John Knatchbull, on a charge of murdering a widowed shopkeeper named Ellen Jamieson; he was one of the earliest to raise in a British court the plea of moral insanity.

Robert Lowe has been referred to as "the father of modern company law".

In 1859, Robert Lowe went to the Education Office as Vice-President of the Committee of the Council on Education in Lord Palmerston's ministry; there he pursued a vigorous policy, insisting on payment by results, and bringing in the revised code, which embodied this principle and made an examination in "the three R's" the test for grants of public money.

Robert Lowe felt then, and still more after the Reform Act of 1867, that "we must educate our masters," and he rather scandalized his old university friends by the stress he laid on physical science as opposed to classical studies.

Robert Lowe carried on his former Prime Minister's views, as part of the Canning and Peel Liberal school.

Robert Lowe had already made known his objections to the advance of "democracy", notably in his speech in 1865 on Sir Edward Baines's Borough Franchise Bill.

Robert Lowe was not invited to join the new ministry.

Robert Lowe retired into what Bright called the "Cave of Adullam", and with other Liberals and Whig peers opposed the bill in a series of brilliant speeches, which raised his reputation as an orator to its highest point and helped to cause government's downfall.

In spite of the fact that his appeals did not prevent the passing of the Second Reform Act, Robert Lowe beat Walter Bagehot in the next election to become the first Member of Parliament for the London University, a new constituency created by the very Act he opposed.

Robert Lowe is entrusted with a certain amount of misery which it is his duty to distribute as fairly as he can.

Robert Lowe was a rather cut-and-dried economist, who prided himself that during his four years of office he took twelve millions off taxation; but later opinion has hardly accepted his removal of the shilling registration duty on corn as good statesmanship, and his failures are remembered rather than his successes.

Robert Lowe's proposed tax of a halfpenny a box on Lucifer matches in 1871 roused a storm of opposition, and had to be dropped.

Robert Lowe spoke against the Royal Titles Bill 1876 at East Retford and implied that Queen Victoria had been responsible for the bill's introduction.

Robert Lowe became a supporter of the Liberal Unionist party in 1886.

Robert Lowe was delighted with this, and promptly translated it into Latin, as follows:.