Broome, Henry

Born in Westmoreland; received his initial education under the guidance of his uncle, historian Robertson; since 1793 he studied in Edinburgh, where at that time Scottish education reached its highest development. Broome early attracted the attention of some physical and mathematical works, which in the 22nd year of life gave him a place in the Royal Society of Sciences; at the same time, through practical exercises and the study of ancient patterns, he prepared himself for the career of a speaker and politician, and since 1800, after traveling across the continent, has acted as a publicist. His essay “An inquiry into the colonial policy of the European powers” ​​(2 volumes, Edinburgh, 1803), in which he particularly opposed the slave trade, gives a brilliant account of the fate of the issue and a truly state-of-the-art view of the tasks of our time. A year earlier (1802), he, along with some friends, founded the Edinburgh Review , which became the organ of the Whig party, the party, then powerless and powerless due to internal strife and personal dislike of the king. However, this magazine soon gained significant influence on the public opinion of England and became a force in the country.

In order to assess the state of affairs in which the editors of Edinburgh Review began their activities, it must be remembered that the daily press was still in its infancy and that the fear of the horrors of the French Revolution caused restrictions on freedom of speech and press; and to describe the correctness of the views of the publishers of this magazine and its role in the development of the country, it’s enough to say that even during the time of Brum's life, everything that the Edinburgh Review advocated had given way to a different order of things. Broome's journalistic activities brought him widespread fame, and when he moved to London in 1804, he was already a prominent person in the country with all his youth. In London, Broome, thanks to his brilliant talent as a speaker, soon took a place between the first lawyers of the capital; on behalf of the Liverpool merchants, he with great strength, but to no avail, proved before the House of Commons the groundlessness of the shy measures taken by the Tory Ministry in relation to the trade of neutral states. In 1810, he joined the House of Commons and, as a member of the House, achieved the cancellation of orders against which he simply fought as a lawyer; his speeches for the abolition of the slave trade had a tremendous influence.

From 1812-15, Broome, who was defeated at the election in Liverpool by Canning, was not a member of the House, but then he had already been sitting in the House for a long time until his elevation to the rank of peer. All this time, Broome took an active part in the work of the Chamber and declared himself a decisive champion of liberal ideas. In 1816, almost without any support from his party, he opposed the Holy Alliance and its policies and condemned England's commitment to it; in the internal affairs of England the reactionary policy of the government found him the most resolute adversary. In 1828-29, he ardently advocated the emancipation of Catholics. He worked especially hard during this time for the benefit of public education. Although not all his proposals on this part were implemented, he nevertheless rendered great services to public education in England: he founded schools for minors, educational institutions for artisans (Mechanics Institutions), established the Society for the diffusion of useful knowledge), contributed to the opening of the University in London (1826) and published his essay “Practical observations upon the education of the people” (London, 1826), which survived more than 30 publications. He took an active part in campaigning in favor of improving the English lawsuit and was president of the Law Amendment Society.

In 1830, when the Wellington ministry of Tori fell and Earl Gray became the head of the cabinet on November 16, Broome (November 22) was elevated to the rank of peer with the title of Baron Broome and Vaud and was appointed Lord Chancellor. In this title, he defended the bill of reform in the House of Peers and contributed a lot to his triumph. At the same time, Broome showed extremely intensified and fruitful activities in the area of ​​English justice reform and criminal law; in order to bring triumph to his ideas, Broome did not stop at significant personal sacrifices, abandoning the annual maintenance of 7,000 pounds. When the Whigs returned to power after a short break (1834–1835), Broome, who broke up with the leaders of his party, was not invited to join the cabinet. Since then, he has not adjoined either the Whigs or the Tories and remained an independent, but very influential member of the House of Peers. Broome did not change his basic convictions, but a certain eccentricity of character and personal irritation in connection with ambition, often degenerating into petty vanity, often carried him into contradictions with himself.

So, he, one of the founders of the University of London, founded in opposition to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, spoke out against the reform of the latter. At first he warmly welcomed the revolution of 1848 and even made a request to the Minister of Justice Cremieux: can he be considered a citizen of the republic as the owner of an estate in Southern France, where he usually spent time in parliament in the parliament; but he soon changed his mind and in the "Letter to the Marquis Landsdown" (1849) in the harshest terms condemned the February Revolution and its culprits; in addition, he, an ardent opponent of slavery, who had fought gloriously against this shameful institution all his life, could not hide his sympathies for southerners during the North American Civil War; Despite this, Broome was recognized by some contemporaries as one of the noblest statesmen of the 19th century.

Even higher, he was rated as an orator and, in particular, as a judicial speaker. His crown speech is considered a speech in defense of Queen Carolina, made in 1820 in front of the House of Peers, in which he saved the honor of a woman and a queen. In the art of eloquence, Broome was one of the first; more than anyone, he can be called a rhetorician, developed on the study of great examples of antiquity. But a deep study of the speakers of the ancient world deprives him of his national speech, his vocabulary hardly penetrates the very foundation of the English language, the treasury of Anglo-Saxon words, and the Roman forum and the toga of Cicero are reflected in the very construction of his phrase.

Broome's collection of speeches was published under the heading “Speeches at the Bar and in Parliament” (4 volumes, Edinburgh, 1846). Of the writings of Broome, the most remarkable is his Political Philosophy (3 volumes, London, 1844), in which he sets out the history and essence of the constitutions of the most important states of ancient and modern times. The chapter devoted to the English constitution and published as a separate publication (The British constitution, its history and working, 3rd edition, London, 1868), reveals to us the political worldview of Brum, according to which the highest criterion of any political institution is the public good. He foresees and welcomes the need for further democratization of state institutions, due to the expansion of political education (which he distinguishes from general school education) and the improvement of the economic conditions of the masses, but at the same time he is far from purely theoretical constructions that have no solid ground in the real conditions of public life . Broome's extensive encyclopedic education was reflected in his Sketches of statesmen of the time of George III (3 volumes, London, 1840-1843) and in Lives of men of letters and science of the time of George III (3 volumes, London , 1845). Less remarkable are his Dialogues on instinct (London, 1853). Broome devoted his leisure time to physical and mathematical research, which he published under the title "Tracts mathematical and physical" (2 editions, London, 1860). Broome himself undertook the publication of his writings under the title "Critical, historical and miscellaneous works" (10 volumes, London, 1857, and the next, new edition, 1872, 11 volumes).

Died in Cannes, buried in the Gran Jas cemetery. Since he did not leave male offspring, the title of Baron Broome and Waugh passed to his brother William. After his death, his autobiography, Life and Times of Lord B. (3 volumes, Lond., 1871), which aroused many interpretations, and a new edition of the novel Albert Lunel attributed to him (1872), were published.

• Broome, Henry // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.