Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton

Henry Labouchere (pronounced ˌlæbuˈʃɛɚ) (August 15, 1798 – July 13, 1869) was a prominent British Whig and Liberal Party politician of the mid-19th century.

Labouchere was born in Over Stowey, Somerset, into a Huguenot merchant family. He took his B.A. (1821) and his M.A. (1828) at Oxford University.

In 1826, Labouchere became MP for Michael Borough, as a Whig. In 1830, he moved to the Taunton seat, which he held until 1859. (In 1835, Labouchere was opposed by Benjamin Disraeli for the Taunton seat, and defeated him by 452 votes to 282.)

Labouchere was first named to office by Earl Grey in 1832, serving as Civil Lord of the Admiralty. After beginning the second Melbourne ministry as Master of the Mint, Privy Counsellor, and Vice-President of the Board of Trade (and, later, Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies), Labouchere was raised to a cabinet post, President of the Board of Trade, which he held from 1839 until the Melbourne government fell in 1841.

When the Whigs, now led by Lord John Russell, returned to office in 1846, Labouchere returned to the cabinet, this time as Chief Secretary for Ireland. The following year, he once again became President of the Board of Trade, and stayed in that post until Russell's government fell in 1852.

Labouchere's final cabinet posting came during the first Palmerston ministry, for which he served as Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1855 to 1858. In 1859, Labouchere was raised to the House of Lords as Baron Taunton.

Lord Taunton died at his home, Quantock Lodge in Over Stowey. He had married Frances Baring in 1840 and, after her death, Lady Mary Howard in 1852. He had three daughters, but no sons, and, as a result, his barony became extinct at his death. His nephew, also Henry Labouchere, inherited part of Labouchere's fortune, and was later to become a well-known newspaper editor and politician.

References

* Lee, Sidney, ed. "Dictionary of National Biography", vol. 11, "Labouchere, Henry, Baron Taunton". London : Smith Elder, 1909.