Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne
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Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne (November 27, 1812 – May 4, 1895), Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, was called to the bar in 1837 and entered parliament as a Conservative in 1847. Palmer soon became a Liberal, however, and served Palmerston and Russell as Solicitor General (1861-1863) and Attorney General (1863-1866).
He was born at Mixbury in Oxford County, studied at Rugby and Winchester, graduated in 1834 from Oxford after a brilliant career there, and received his master's degree in 1836. He soon became known for his keen and subtle mind and his vast learning.
Under Gladstone, he became Lord Chancellor in 1872 and was created Baron Selborne. His first tenure in the office saw the passage of the Judicature Act of 1873, which completely reorganized the judiciary. He served in the same office in Gladstone's Second Cabinet (1880-1885), and was created Earl of Selborne and Viscount Wolmer in 1882. He broke with Gladstone, however, over Irish Home Rule, in 1885, and joined the Liberal Unionists.
His son, William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne, later became a prominent Unionist politician.
[edit] Publications
- Selborne Memorials (London, 1896-98)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: The Lord Hatherley |
Lord Chancellor 1872–1874 |
Succeeded by: The Lord Cairns |
| Preceded by: The Earl Cairns |
Lord Chancellor 1880–1885 |
Succeeded by: The Lord Halsbury |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by: New Creation |
Earl of Selborne 1882–1895 |
Succeeded by: William Palmer |
