16 Facts About William Huskisson

William Huskisson is commonly known as the world's first widely reported railway passenger casualty as he was run over and fatally injured by Robert Stephenson's pioneering locomotive Rocket.

William Huskisson remained in Paris until 1792, and his experience as an eyewitness to the prelude and beginning of the French Revolution gave him a lifelong interest in politics.

William Huskisson first came to public notice while still in Paris.

William Huskisson became a protege of the Marquess, and returned to London with him.

William Huskisson took a prominent part in the debates over the Corn Laws in 1814 and 1815; and in 1819 he presented a memorandum to Lord Liverpool advocating a large reduction in the unfunded debt, and explaining a method for the resumption of cash payments, which was embodied in the act passed the same year.

William Huskisson's response was dismissive, expressing his view that to introduce such a measure would be "a vain and hazardous attempt to impose the authority of the law between the labourer and his employer in regulating the demand for labour and the price to be paid for it".

William Huskisson was followed out of the government by other Tories who are usually described as Canningites including Lord Palmerston, Charles Grant and Lord Dudley.

William Huskisson had been diagnosed with strangury, a tender inflammation of the kidneys.

William Huskisson had undergone surgery, and had been advised by Royal doctor William George Maton to cancel all forthcoming appointments, which included the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

William Huskisson chose to ignore this advice, believing the opening event too important to avoid.

William Huskisson rode down the line in a special train constructed for the Duke of Wellington and his guests and dignitaries, pulled by the locomotive Northumbrian which was driven by George Stephenson himself.

One of those who got off was William Huskisson, who approached the Duke to take this opportunity to repair their relationship after a great falling out, which resulted in William Huskisson leaving the government, and shook his hand.

William Huskisson was known to be clumsy, and had endured a long list of problems from his regular trips and falls; he had twice broken his arm and never fully recovered the use of it.

William Huskisson then panicked that the gap between the two trains was not big enough and so tried to clamber into the Duke's carriage.

The death and funeral of William Huskisson led to wide reporting on the opening of the railway, for the first time making people around the world aware that cheap and rapid long-distance transport was now possible, if dangerous.

Emily William Huskisson survived her husband and did not remarry, dying in April 1856.