James Edwin Thorold Rogers
Encyclopedia
James Edwin Thorold Rogers (23 March 1823 – 14 October 1890), known as Thorold Rogers, was an English
economist
, historian
and Liberal
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1886. He deployed historical and statistical methods to analyze some of the key economic and social questions in Victorian England. As an advocate of free trade and social justice he distinguished himself from some others within the English Historical School
.
, Hampshire
the son of George Vining Rogers and his wife Mary Ann Blyth, daughter of John Blyth. He was educated at King's College London
and Magdalen Hall, Oxford. After taking a first-class degree in 1846, he received his MA
in 1849 from Magdalen and was ordained. A High Church man, he was curate of St. Paul's in Oxford
, and acted voluntarily as assistant curate at Headington from 1854 to 1858, until his views changed and he turned to politics. Rogers was instrumental in obtaining the Clerical Disabilities Relief Act, of which he was the first beneficiary, becoming the first man to legally withdraw from his clerical vows in 1870.
For some time the classics were the chief field of his activity. He devoted himself to classical and philosophical tuition in Oxford with success, and his publications included an edition of Aristotle
's Ethics (in 1865).
, from 1859 until his death. During this time he also held the Drummond professorship
of political economy at All Souls College, Oxford
between 1862 and 1867, when Bonamy Price
was elected in his stead. In this he became a friend and follower of Richard Cobden
, an advocate for free trade, nonintervention in Europe and an end to imperial expansion, whom he met during his first tenure as Drummond professor. Rogers said of Cobden, "he knew that ... political economy ... was, or ought to be, eminently inductive, and that an economist without facts is like an engineer without materials or tools." Rogers had a wealth of facts at his disposal: his most influential works were the 6-volume History of Agriculture and Prices in England from 1259 to 1795 and Six Centuries of Work and Wages.
He served as President of the first day of the 1875 Co-operative Congress
. He was elected Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Southwark
in 1880 and held the seat until it was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
. At the 1885 general election
he was elected MP for Bermondsey
and held the seat until 1886. Rogers also lectured in political economy at Worcester College, Oxford
in 1883 and was re-elected Drummond professor in 1888.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1886. He deployed historical and statistical methods to analyze some of the key economic and social questions in Victorian England. As an advocate of free trade and social justice he distinguished himself from some others within the English Historical School
Historical school of economics
The Historical school of economics was an approach to academic economics and to public administration that emerged in 19th century in Germany, and held sway there until well into the 20th century....
.
Background and formative years
Rogers was born at West MeonWest Meon
West Meon is a small village in Hampshire, England, with a population of 690.It is situated near to Petersfield and East Meon, on the headwaters of the River Meon....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
the son of George Vining Rogers and his wife Mary Ann Blyth, daughter of John Blyth. He was educated at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and Magdalen Hall, Oxford. After taking a first-class degree in 1846, he received his MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1849 from Magdalen and was ordained. A High Church man, he was curate of St. Paul's in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and acted voluntarily as assistant curate at Headington from 1854 to 1858, until his views changed and he turned to politics. Rogers was instrumental in obtaining the Clerical Disabilities Relief Act, of which he was the first beneficiary, becoming the first man to legally withdraw from his clerical vows in 1870.
For some time the classics were the chief field of his activity. He devoted himself to classical and philosophical tuition in Oxford with success, and his publications included an edition of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's Ethics (in 1865).
Political economy
Simultaneously with these occupations he had been studying economics. He became the first Tooke Professor of Statistics and Economic Science at King's College LondonKing's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, from 1859 until his death. During this time he also held the Drummond professorship
Drummond Professor of Political Economy
The Drummond Professorship of Political Economy at All Souls College, Oxford has been held by a number of distinguished individuals, including three Nobel laureates. The professorship is named after and was founded by Henry Drummond...
of political economy at All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
between 1862 and 1867, when Bonamy Price
Bonamy Price
Bonamy Price was an English political economist.He was born at St Peter Port, Guernsey, and entered at Worcester College, Oxford, in 1825, where he took a double first in 1829. From 1830 to 1850 he was an assistant master at Rugby school...
was elected in his stead. In this he became a friend and follower of Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden
Richard Cobden was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal statesman, associated with John Bright in the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League as well as with the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty...
, an advocate for free trade, nonintervention in Europe and an end to imperial expansion, whom he met during his first tenure as Drummond professor. Rogers said of Cobden, "he knew that ... political economy ... was, or ought to be, eminently inductive, and that an economist without facts is like an engineer without materials or tools." Rogers had a wealth of facts at his disposal: his most influential works were the 6-volume History of Agriculture and Prices in England from 1259 to 1795 and Six Centuries of Work and Wages.
He served as President of the first day of the 1875 Co-operative Congress
Co-operative Congress
The Co-operative Congress is the national conference of the UK Co-operative Movement. The first of the modern congresses took place in 1869 following a series of meetings called the "Owenite Congress" in the 1830s...
. He was elected Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Southwark
Southwark (UK Parliament constituency)
Southwark was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Southwark district of South London. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament from 1295 to 1707, to the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in 1880 and held the seat until it was divided under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
. At the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
he was elected MP for Bermondsey
Bermondsey (UK Parliament constituency)
Bermondsey was a borough constituency centred on the Bermondsey district of South London, England. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
and held the seat until 1886. Rogers also lectured in political economy at Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
in 1883 and was re-elected Drummond professor in 1888.
Works
- A History of Agriculture and Prices in England from 1259 to 1793 (1866–1902)
- Speeches on questions of public policy by John Bright, M.P. Preface by James E. Thorold Rogers, editor. 2 vols. London: Macmillan and Co. (1868)
- Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, 2 vols. (1869); revised edition (1880); on line at Osmania University, Digital Library of India, Internet Archive. Preface by Thorold Rogers pp. v-xxx1x and v. II (1869)
- Historical Gleanings, A Series of Sketches (Montagu, Walpole, Adam Smith, Cobbett), London : Macmillan (1869)
- Speeches on Questions of Public Policy by Richard Cobden, M.P., Edited by John Bright and James E. Thorold Rogers, London, T. Fisher Unwin (1870). Preface by Thorold Rogers. v. 1 ISBN 1847029159 v. 2 ISBN 1425492231; third ed. (1908) on line at Library of Economics and Liberty
- Cobden and Modern Political Opinion. Essays on certain political topics, London, Macmillan (1873) Questia, on line.
- A Complete Collection of the Protests of the Lords: With Historical Introductions, Vol. 1 1624-1741. Oxford, Clarendon Press; London, Macmillan & Co. (1875) On line. vol. 2. 1741-1825; vol. 3. 1826-1874.
- Public Addresses by John Bright, M.P., ed. James E. Thorold Rogers, Preface by Thorold Rogers, pp. v-xi. 2nd ed., revised. London, Macmillan (1879) On line.
- Six Centuries of Work and Wages: The History of English Labour 2 vols. London, Swan Sonnenschein (1884) ISBN 0415382297 - McMaster. On line.
- The First Nine Years of the Bank of England, London, Macmillan (1887) Google Books, on line.
- The Relations of Economic Science to Social and Political Action. London: Swan Sonnenschein (1888).
- The Economic Interpretation of History London, G.P. Putnam's Sons (1888); T. Fisher Unwin (1909).
- Holland. London, T. Fisher Unwin (1888); New York, G.P. Putnam's Sons (1889) - on line.
- The Industrial and Commercial History of England: Lectures Delivered to the University of Oxford, ed. Arthur G. L. Rogers. New York, G. P. Putnam, 1892. Google Books, on line.