Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman
Thomas Denman, 1st Baron Denman PC KC ( * July 23, 1779 in London, † September 26, 1854 in Stoke Albany, Northamptonshire ) was a British lawyer, judge and politician. He was from 1832 to 1850 Lord Chief Justice.
Life
Denman was born as the son of Dr. Thomas Denman. At the age of four years he attended the Palgrave Academy, a kind of boarding school with classes for preschool children in Suffolk, where his education by Anna Laetitia Barbauld and her husband was monitored. He later attended Eton College and St John's College, where he earned his degree in 1800. In 1806 he was admitted at Lincoln's Inn as a lawyer and immediately started practicing.
His success came quickly and within a few years he reached in court, a position second only behind Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, and James Scarlett. He distinguished himself especially with his defense of the Luddites.
His most brilliant appearance in court he had as legal advisor to Caroline of Brunswick- Wolfenbüttel. His speech before the House of Lords was very powerful and some competent judges saw it as no worse than the Brougham on. It contained one or two bold sections that made the king to his bitter enemy and Denmans lawful transportation delayed.
In the parliamentary elections in 1818, he was again elected to the House of Commons for Wareham and took his seat as a member of the Whig opposition. The following year he returned to Nottingham back into parliament. He had until 1826 and then again from 1830 to hold his appointment as judge in 1832 this seat. In 1822 he was sheriff of London (Common Sergeant ). His liberal principles had hitherto prevented it, that he got a public office of judge.
In 1830 he was in the reign of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, was appointed Attorney General for England and Wales and two years later became Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. In 1834 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Denman, of Dovedale in the County of Derby. As a judge, he is known primarily for his decision in Stockdale v. Hansard immunity process by 1839. In 1850, he resigned as Chief Justice, and retired into private life.
He was governor of the London Charterhouse and Vice - President of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy.
Family
Lord Denman married in 1804 Theodosia Anne, the daughter of the Rev. Richard Vevers. His country seat was Middleton Hall, Stoney Middleton in Derbyshire. He died in Stoke Albany, Northamptonshire, aged 75 years. His successor as Baron was his son Thomas.
His son, Joseph Denman, was an officer in the British Navy.
Sources and links
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Edition 1911
- Thomas Denman in Hansard (English)
- Thomas Denman at Leigh Rayment
- Biography Thomas Denman, home of the University of Cambridge