Francis Charles Lawley (24 May 1825 – 18 September 1901) was a British journalist and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician. He was the youngest son of

Paul Thompson, 1st Baron Wenlock Paul Beilby Lawley Thompson, 1st Baron Wenlock (1 July 1784 – 9 May 1852), born Paul Beilby Lawley, was an English nobleman and Whig politician. Life Thompson was born Paul Beilby Lawley, the youngest son of Sir Robert Lawley, 5th Baron ...

, and after schooling in Hatfield attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

in May 1837. In 1848 he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford with a second-class honours degree in Literae Humaniores. He entered Inner Temple as a student in 1847, but failed to be called to the bar, instead gaining a BCL. In 1852 he was elected as a

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(MP) for

Beverley Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull. The town is known fo ...

, and also became

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in ...

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

during his time as the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the same year.Benjamin Disraeli: Letters, 1835-1837
/ref> In June 1854 he was considered for the position of Governor of South Australia, but was swiftly discounted after a political scandal forced him to resign from office. He was known for his passion for horse-racing and gambling, and this had financially damaged him. It was revealed in August 1854 that to recoup his lost funds he had been using insider information gained from his position within the Exchequer to speculate on

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. After this came out he was forced to resign from his position as a Member of Parliament, and also as Gladstone's secretary. Ironically despite the information involved he failed to gain any amount of money; Lord Henry Lennox remarked that "Lawley's greatest sin was to lose on the funds, knowing what he did". With his career in ruins he moved to the

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in 1856, becoming a correspondent for ''

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'' covering the

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with the Confederate Army, and authored several books including ''The Bench and the Jockey Club'' and ''The Life and Times of the Druid'', as well as contributing to magazines such as St Paul's Magazine. In 1865 he returned to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and wrote for ''

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''. He continued to have financial problems, beginning bankruptcy proceedings in 1874 and 1881, and proceedings against his estate continued after his death.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawley, Francis Charles 1825 births 1901 deaths Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford English male journalists People educated at Rugby School Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1852–1857 Younger sons of barons British war correspondents