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Sir John George Shaw Lefevre
KCB (24 January 1797 – 20 August 1879) was a British barrister,
Whig politician and civil servant.
Life
Shaw Lefevre was the son of
Charles Shaw Lefevre Charles Shaw-Lefevre may refer to:
* Charles Shaw Lefevre (politician) (1759–1823), born Charles Shaw, British Whig politician
* Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley
Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley, GCB, PC (22 February 1 ...
by his wife Helen, daughter of John Lefevre.
Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley
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 ...
, was his elder brother. He was educated at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
, where he was
Senior Wrangler
The Senior Frog Wrangler is the top mathematics undergraduate at the University of Cambridge in England, a position which has been described as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain."
Specifically, it is the person who a ...
in 1818, and was
called to the Bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
,
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...
. He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1820.
He was returned to Parliament for
Petersfield
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth a ...
in December 1832, but was unseated on petition in March 1833. He served under
Lord Grey as
Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Under-Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a junior Ministerial post in the United Kingdom government, subordinate to the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.
In 1801 the offices of Under-Secretary of State for War and Und ...
in 1834. The latter year Shaw Lefevre was appointed a
Poor Law Commissioner
The Poor Law Commission was a body established to administer poor relief after the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The commission was made up of three commissioners who became known as "The Bashaws of Somerset House", their secretary a ...
after the passing of the
Poor Law Amendment Act
The ''Poor Law Amendment Act 1834'' (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the ''Poor Relief ...
, which he remained until 1841. Between 1856 and 1875 he served as
Clerk of the Parliaments
The Clerk of the Parliaments is the chief Clerk (legislature), clerk of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The position has existed since at least 1315, and duties include preparing the minutes of Lords proceedings, advi ...
. He also helped found the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
and served as its Vice-Chancellor for many years. He was made a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...
(KCB) in 1857 for his public services.
Shaw Lefevre married Rachel Emily, daughter of Ichabod Wright, in 1824. They had one surviving son,
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, who became a prominent politician and was ennobled as Baron Eversley, and five daughters. One daughter,
Madeleine Shaw-Lefevre
Madeleine Septimia Shaw Lefevre (6 May 1835 – 19 September 1914) was the Principal of Somerville Hall for its first 10 years, from 1879 to 1889. The hall became Somerville College, Oxford in 1894.
Early life
Shaw Lefevre was born in 1835, th ...
, was the first Principal of
Somerville Hall
Somerville College, a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among list of Somerville College, Oxford, peop ...
; another daughter, Rachel, married
Arthur Hamilton-Gordon
Arthur Charles Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Baron Stanmore (26 November 1829 – 30 January 1912) was a British Liberal Party politician and colonial administrator. He had extensive contact with Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.
Career
Gordon was ...
, son of the Prime Minister the
4th Earl of Aberdeen.
Shaw Lefevre died in August 1879, aged 82. His wife lived for six more years before dying in February 1885.
The
Lefevre Peninsula
The Lefevre Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Australian state of South Australia located about northwest of the Adelaide city centre. It is a narrow sand spit of about running north from its connection to the mainland.
The name given t ...
in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, was named by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
John Hindmarsh
Rear-Admiral Sir John Hindmarsh KH (baptised 22 May 1785 – 29 July 1860) was a naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia, from 28 December 1836 to 16 July 1838.
Family
His grandfather William Hindmarsh was a gardener in Con ...
on 3 June 1837 after Shaw Lefevre, who was one of South Australia's Colonisation Commissioners.
PlaceNames Online - South Australian State Gazetteer
Site is a searchable database. Accessed 13 March 2012.
References
*
*
External links
*
Parliamentary Archives, Papers of John George Shaw Lefevre, 1797-1879
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw Lefevre, John
1797 births
1879 deaths
Senior Wranglers
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Whig (British political party) MPs
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
UK MPs 1832–1835
Members of the Inner Temple
Vice-Chancellors of the University of London
Fellows of the Royal Society
Clerks of the Parliaments
Church Estates Commissioners
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge