Background
He was born in Bury, Lancashire and educated at Bury Grammar School.
He was born in Bury, Lancashire and educated at Bury Grammar School.
He was first Solicitor General and later Attorney General in the second government of Benjamin Disraeli. After being articled to a solicitor, he was called to the bar at Gray"s Inn in 1854, where he was later a bencher, and treasurer in 1875. He joined the Northern Circuit, and lived in Manchester.
There were no children from either marriage.
He returned to London in 1864, where he developed a very successful and lucrative legal practice, and was appointed Queen"s Counsel in 1866. He became Solicitor General in the government of Benjamin Disraeli in 1874, and was knighted.
He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in January 1882, but resigned due to ill health in May, and died in London a few days later.
20th United Kingdom Parliament. 21st United Kingdom Parliament. 22nd United Kingdom Parliament]
He sat as a Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for Preston from 1872 until his death ten years later.
He served as Member of Parliament for Preston until his death in 1882.
He was the Conservative candidate at a by-election in Preston in 1872, one of the first held after the Ballot Acting 1872 required the use of a secret ballot.