Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell
Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell PC FRS (* July 24, 1813, † February 15, 1886 in Torquay, Devon, England ) was a British politician. As Minister of War ( 1868-1874 ), he led in the British Army major reforms.
Life
Cardwell was born as the son of merchant John Cardwell from Liverpool and his wife Elizabeth. He attended Winchester College and then studied at Balliol College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1835. He was admitted to the Bar of the Inner Temple and worked first as a lawyer.
He soon discovered his interest in politics and in 1842 a Member of the House of Commons for the electoral district of Clitheroe in Lancashire. He became a follower of the conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel and gained under him his first position as Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1845-1846. In 1852 Lord Aberdeen made President of the Board of Trade, which he remained until 1855. In 1854 he brought the Cardwell Railway Act through Parliament, the regulated private competition of the railway companies.
During this time, Cardwell kept changing its constituencies. In 1847 he was elected for Liverpool, this seat he lost in 1852, but was elected for Oxford. In 1858 he lost his seat for Oxford, but was able to win in the election. He joined in 1859 in the liberal camp and was in Palerstons Cabinet Chief Secretary for Ireland. Unhappy with this post, two years later he moved his office and was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1864 he again received another office and was Colonial Secretary ( Secretary of State for the Colonies ), which he remained until the change of government in 1866.
When the Liberals in 1868 under William Ewart Gladstone again questioned the government, Cardwell reached the peak of his career as a British minister of war. During his six-year tenure, he initiated a series of much-needed reforms of the British Army. These included the introduction of uniform training standards for officers, including the abolition of venality of military posts. In the line infantry the majority consisting of only one battalion in peacetime regiments were grouped into those with two active battalions, and common recruiting district. The hitherto largely meaningless voluntary associations were to territorial battalions of the line regiments. Of the two active battalions basically walked only one overseas, so that in case of heavy losses this could be balanced without complete reorganization of the regiment. Although the so-called traditionalists Cardwell reforms and their initiator fought massively, the innovations prevailed. Only in the area of the uniforms some regiments received their first abolished in the wake of reforms peculiarities back.
After Gladstone's electoral defeat in 1874 he was created Viscount Cardwell, of Ellerbeck in the County of Lancaster, charged, and thus ended his political career.
Lord Cardwell married 1838 Annie Parker, daughter of Charles Stuart Parker. He died in February 1886. His wife survived him for a year and died in February 1887.
The town of Cardwell in Queensland, Australia was named after him.