Stephen Henry Hobhouse
| Stephen Henry Hobhouse | |
|---|---|
| Born |
5 August 1881 Pitcombe, Somerset, England |
| Died | 2 April 1961 (aged 79) |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Religious writer |
| Known for |
Prison reform Peace activism |
| Notable work | English prisons to-day: Being the report of the Prison system enquiry committee |
| Spouse(s) | Rosa Waugh |
| Parent(s) |
Henry Hobhouse Margaret Heyworth Potter |
| Relatives |
Arthur Lawrence Hobhouse (brother) Emily Hobhouse (paternal cousin) Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse (paternal cousin) Richard Potter (maternal great-grandfather) Catherine Courtney, Baroness Courtney of Penwith (maternal aunt) Beatrice Webb, Baroness Passfield (maternal aunt) |
Stephen Henry Hobhouse (5 August 1881 – 2 April 1961) was a prominent English peace activist, prison reformer, and religious writer.
Stephen Henry Hobhouse was born in Pitcombe, Somerset, England. He was the eldest son of Henry Hobhouse (1854–1937), a wealthy landowner and Liberal MP from 1885 to 1906, and Margaret Heyworth Potter. Both sides of his family included a number of reformers and progressive politicians:
Stephen Hobhouse was brought up as a member of the established Church of England. He was educated at Eton, where he won prizes in both academics and sports, and at Balliol College, Oxford.
The Second Boer War broke out when he was 18. He originally supported the war but his views were soon challenged by his cousin Emily. "Thus, no doubt, it was that my mind was prepared for the awakening". What he regarded as an awakening came from a 1902 reading of a pamphlet by Leo Tolstoy. This tract had a profound influence on him and he became an ardent lifelong pacifist.
He worked as a civil servant for seven years in the Board of Education. During the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, he resigned his post to go to Constantinople as a volunteer with a Quaker relief mission that helped refugees and saw firsthand the damage that war can do.
In April 1915, Hobhouse married Rosa Waugh (1882–1971). He met her at a dinner party for Christian activists. She was also an activist, and spent three months in jail for distributing pacifist pamphlets. Rosa was also a prolific author on her own. Together they wrote a biography of Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy. Both Hobhouses were firm believers in homeopathy, and Steven even translated articles for the Homeopathic Journal.
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