Viscount Eversley
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The Right Honourable The Viscount Eversley GCB PC |
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Lord Eversley in the 1860s.
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| Speaker of the House of Commons | |
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In office 1839–1857 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Hon. James Abercromby |
| Succeeded by | Sir Evelyn Denison |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 February 1794 London, England |
| Died | 28 December 1888 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Emma Whitbread (d. 1857) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley, GCB, PC (22 February 1794 – 28 December 1888) was a British Whig politician. He served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1839 to 1857. He is the second-longest serving Speaker of the House of Commons, behind Arthur Onslow.
Shaw-Lefevre was the son of Charles Shaw-Lefevre by his wife Helena, daughter of John Lefevre. His younger brother, Sir John Shaw-Lefevre, was a senior civil servant and one of the founders of the University of London, while his nephew, George, was a Liberal politician. He was educated at Winchester and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1819 he was called to the Bar, Lincoln's Inn.
Shaw-Lefevre was the son-in-law of the sister of Lord Grey, the Whig Prime Minister, which advanced his career greatly. A Whig, he was Member of Parliament for Downton from 1830 to 1831, for Hampshire from 1831 to 1832 and for North Hampshire from 1832 to 1857. During the 1830s he was chairman of a committee on petitions for private bills and of a committee on agricultural distress. His report from the latter position was not accepted by the House of Commons but was published as a pamphlet addressed to his constituents. He acquired, says the Encyclopædia Britannica, "a high reputation in the House of Commons for his judicial fairness, combined with singular tact and courtesy." When James Abercromby retired as Speaker of the House of Commons in 1839, Shaw-Lefevre was put forward as the Whig candidate and defeated the Tory candidate Henry Goulburn by 317 votes to 299. He was sworn of the Privy Council at the same time.
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