62 Facts About Robert Peel

Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer and twice as Home Secretary.

Robert Peel is regarded as the father of modern British policing, owing to his founding of the Metropolitan Police Service.

The son of a wealthy textile manufacturer and politician, Robert Peel was the first prime minister from an industrial business background.

Robert Peel earned a double first in classics and mathematics from Christ Church, Oxford.

Robert Peel entered the House of Commons in 1809, and became a rising star in the Tory Party.

Robert Peel entered the Cabinet as Home Secretary, where he reformed and liberalised the criminal law and created the modern police force, leading to a new type of officer known in tribute to him as "bobbies" and "peelers".

Robert Peel issued the Tamworth Manifesto, laying down the principles upon which the modern British Conservative Party is based.

Robert Peel's first ministry was a minority government, dependent on Whig support and with Peel serving as his own Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Robert Peel became Prime Minister again after the 1841 general election.

Robert Peel played a central role in making free trade a reality and set up a modern banking system.

Robert Peel's government was weakened by anti-Catholic sentiment following the controversial increase in the Maynooth Grant of 1845.

Robert Peel often started from a traditional Tory position in opposition to a measure, then reversed his stance and became the leader in supporting liberal legislation.

Robert Peel carried Catholic Emancipation; he repealed the Corn Laws; he created the modern Conservative Party on the ruins of the old Toryism.

Robert Peel's father was one of the richest textile manufacturers of the early Industrial Revolution.

Robert Peel received his early education from a clergyman tutor in Bury and at a clergyman's local school in Tamworth.

Robert Peel's tutor was Charles Lloyd, later Regius Professor of Divinity, on Peel's recommendation appointed Bishop of Oxford.

In 1808 Robert Peel became the first Oxford student to take a double first in Classics and Mathematics.

Robert Peel held military commissions as a captain in the Manchester Regiment of Militia in 1808, and later as lieutenant in the Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1820.

Robert Peel entered politics in 1809 at the age of 21, as MP for the Irish rotten borough of Cashel, Tipperary.

Robert Peel made his maiden speech at the start of the 1810 session, when he was chosen by Prime Minister Spencer Perceval to second the reply to the king's speech.

Robert Peel's speech was a sensation, famously described by the Speaker, Charles Abbot, as "the best first speech since that of William Pitt".

Robert Peel changed constituency twice, becoming one of the two Members for Chippenham in 1812, and then one of those for Oxford University in 1817.

In 1810, Robert Peel was appointed an Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies; his Secretary of State was Lord Liverpool.

When Lord Liverpool formed a government in 1812, Robert Peel was appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland.

Robert Peel thus laid the basis for the Royal Irish Constabulary.

Robert Peel was firmly opposed to Catholic emancipation, believing that Catholics could not be admitted to Parliament as they refused to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown.

In May 1817, Robert Peel delivered the closing speech in opposition to Henry Grattan's Catholic emancipation bill; the bill was defeated by 245 votes to 221.

Robert Peel resigned as Chief Secretary and left Ireland in August 1818.

In 1819, the House of Commons appointed a Select Committee, the Bullion Committee, charged with stabilising British finances after the end of the Napoleonic Wars, and Robert Peel was chosen as its chairman.

Robert Peel's Bill planned to return British currency to the gold standard, reversing the Bank Restriction Act 1797, within four years.

Robert Peel was considered one of the rising stars of the Tory party, first entering the cabinet in 1822 as Home Secretary.

Robert Peel reduced the number of crimes punishable by death, and simplified the law by repealing a large number of criminal statutes and consolidating their provisions into what are known as Peel's Acts.

Robert Peel reformed the gaol system, introducing payment for gaolers and education for the inmates in the Gaols Act 1823.

George Canning himself died less than four months later and, after the brief premiership of Lord Goderich, Robert Peel returned to the post of Home Secretary under the premiership of his long-time ally the Duke of Wellington.

Wellington and Robert Peel now conceded the necessity of Catholic emancipation, Robert Peel writing to Wellington that "though emancipation was a great danger, civil strife was a greater danger".

Robert Peel felt compelled to stand for re-election to his seat in Oxford, as he was representing the graduates of Oxford University, and had previously stood on a platform of opposition to Catholic Emancipation.

Robert Peel lost his seat in a by-election in February 1829, but soon found another, moving to a rotten borough, Westbury, retaining his Cabinet position.

Robert Peel stood for Tamworth in the general election of 1830, representing Tamworth until his death.

Robert Peel guided the Catholic Relief bill through the House of Commons, Wellington through the House of Lords.

Robert Peel was selected as prime minister but was in Italy at the time, so Wellington acted as a caretaker for three weeks until Robert Peel's return.

Robert Peel formed his own government, though it was a Tory government that was a minority government and depended on Whig goodwill for its continued existence.

Voting took place in January and February 1835, and Robert Peel's supporters gained around 100 seats, but this was not enough to give them a majority.

The only real achievement of Robert Peel's first administration was a commission to review the governance of the Church of England.

However, this too would have been a minority government, and Robert Peel felt he needed a further sign of confidence from his Queen.

Robert Peel, therefore, asked that some of this entourage be dismissed and replaced with their Conservative counterparts, provoking the so-called Bedchamber Crisis.

Robert Peel refused to form a government, and the Whigs returned to power.

Robert Peel finally had a chance to head a majority government following the election of July 1841.

In 1838, before Robert Peel became prime minister, there have been growing tensions between the British East India Company and the Chinese Empire during the past years over the importation and trade of opium, which had been occurring for nearly a century.

In 1842, the time by when Robert Peel became Prime Minister, the war still continued with numerous British military successes against the Chinese navy and when Robert Peel continued the British interests in the war in China, linked to the opium commerce, was able to guide the war to a successful end by signing on 29 August 1842 the Treaty of Nanking which effectively ended the First Opium War between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of China.

Robert Peel moved against the landholders by repealing the Corn Laws, which supported agricultural revenues by restricting grain imports.

Blake points out that if Robert Peel had been convinced that total repeal was necessary to stave off the famine, he would have enacted a bill that brought about immediate temporary repeal, not permanent repeal over a three-year period of gradual tapering-off of duties.

The historian Boyd Hilton argued that Robert Peel knew from 1844 he was going to be deposed as the Conservative leader.

Robert Peel was magnanimous towards Irish famine and permitted quick settlements of disputes at frontiers in India and America in order to repeal Corn Laws on 29 June 1846.

Robert Peel continued to stand on his conservative principles and refused.

Robert Peel was a member of the committee which controlled the House of Commons Library, and on 16 April 1850 was responsible for passing the motion that controlled its scope and collection policy for the rest of the century.

Robert Peel was thrown from his horse while riding on Constitution Hill in London on 29 June 1850.

Robert Peel became engaged to Julia Floyd in March 1820 and was married on 8 June 1820.

Biographer Norman Gash wrote that Robert Peel "looked first, not to party, but to the state; not to programmes, but to national expediency".

Robert Peel was endowed with great intelligence and integrity, and an immense capacity for hard work.

Robert Peel was the first serving British Prime Minister to have his photograph taken.

Statues of Sir Robert Peel are found in the following British and Australian locations:.

Robert Peel is a secondary character in the novel Dodger by Terry Pratchett.