|
English statesman, born in London. He entered Parliament as a
Whig member in 1689 and remained in the House of Commons until
his elevation to the nobility in 1711. In 1701 Harley became
Speaker of the House of Commons, and three years later, through
the influence of John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough, he was
made a secretary of state for the northern part of the country.
Although Harley was at this time ostensibly a supporter of the
Whig ministry, he began to influence Queen Anne against two of
her principal ministers, Sidney Godolphin (1645-1712) and
Marlborough. In 1707 these ministers became suspicious of
Harley's activities, and early the next year they forced him out
of the government. As a critic of the ministry for the
costliness of the war with France, Harley gained great
popularity. He was successful in influencing public opinion by
employing the English writers Daniel Defoe and, later, Jonathan
Swift as political propagandists. In 1710, when Marlborough and
his party lost favor with the queen, Harley was appointed
chancellor of the Exchequer. He tried unsuccessfully to form a
coalition ministry of both parties, but in 1711 his popularity
was entirely restored after a refugee from France attempted to
assassinate him. Harley was created earl of Oxford and appointed
lord treasurer.
He reformed the finances of the country and in 1713 forced the
Peace of Utrecht through the House of Lords by the creation of
12 new peers. He soon lost his influence with the queen,
however, and the next year was replaced in office by a former
friend, the statesman Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke.
Harley retired from public life, but in 1715, after the death of
Queen Anne, the new king of Great Britain, George I, imprisoned
him in the Tower of London on suspicion of plotting for the
return of the Stuart dynasty. He was released in 1717, and the
charges against him were dismissed. Harley, assisted by his son
Edward Harley (1689-1741), spent his last years collecting books
and manuscripts. The so-called Harleian Collection was purchased
by the government in 1753 for £10,000 and given to the British
Museum, which was founded that year. The collection consisted of
7639 volumes and 14,236 original rolls, charters, deeds, and a
number of other legal documents.
|