Cowper, William, Ist Earl Cowper
Cowper, William, Ist Earl Cowper (1664–1724). Politician and lawyer. Called to the bar in 1688, Cowper proved a brilliant lawyer, an attainment which he brought to the Commons in 1695. Despite being a court Whig, he kept a cautious distance from the Junto. He was appointed lord keeper in 1705, becoming a peer in 1706, and lord chancellor in 1707. In these offices he brought about an improvement of Chancery procedure, and as a true Whig member of the Godolphin ministry instigated a mass removal of Tories from the magistracy. In 1710 he presided over the trial of Dr Sacheverell, and later that year resigned with his party. Reappointed lord chancellor by George I in 1714, he promoted the Riot and Septennial Acts. By 1718, however, he was voting increasingly with the Tories, disgusted by the power-lust of some of his colleagues, and resigned a month after receiving an earldom. He continued to lead the opposition in the Lords until his death in 1724.
Andrew Hanham
More From encyclopedia.com
About this article
William Cowper 1st Earl Cowper
All Sources -
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
William Cowper 1st Earl Cowper