John_Shaw-Lefevre_Vanity_Fair_1_July_1871

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 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 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 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 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. 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; 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 ...

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

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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