Sir Charles Cavendish Clifford, 4th Baronet (7 January 1821 – 22 November 1895) was an English barrister 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 a member of parliament (MP) for over 20 years, representing seats on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, and served as private secretary to the Liberal statesman

Viscount Palmerston Viscount Palmerston was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 March 1723 for Henry Temple, who subsequently represented East Grinstead, Bossiney and Weobley in the British House of Commons. He was made Baron Temple, of Mount T ...

Family and early life

Clifford was the third son of Admiral

Sir Augustus Clifford, 1st Baronet Admiral Sir Augustus William James Clifford, 1st Baronet, (26 May 1788 – 8 February 1877) was a British Royal Navy officer, court official, and usher of the Black Rod. Personal life Clifford was born in France in 1788, the illegitimate son of ...

and his wife Elizabeth Frances, the second daughter of the Whig parliamentarian

Lord John Townshend Lord John Townshend PC (19 January 1757 – 23 February 1833), styled The Honourable John Townshend until 1787, was a British Whig politician. Background Townshend was the second son of Field Marshal George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend ...

. He was educated at Charterhouse School and at Christ Church, Oxford where he graduated in 1843 with a 4th-class Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. He became a

Fellow of All Souls All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

in 1845 and was called to the bar at the

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 ...

in 1846. He lived at Westfield House,

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

, on the

. He succeeded to his father's baronetcy in 1893, but the title became extinct on his death in 1895.

Political career

Clifford was elected at the 1857 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the

, and re-elected in 1859, but did stand again at the 1865 general election. He was returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

at a by-election in November 1870 for the borough of Newport,Craig, op. cit., page 222 and held that seat until the borough was disenfranchised at the 1885 general election. He was private secretary for many years to the Liberal statesman

, who served as Foreign Secretary,

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

. He also held several local ceremonial appointments: he was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

in 1847, and as a Lieutenant of the

Isle of Wight Rifle Volunteers The 7th Battalion, The Rifles (7 RIFLES) is an Army Reserve battalion of the British Army originally formed in 1999 as an independent regiment, however later became part of The Rifles following the Future Army Structure programme, and remains a ...

in January 1860, but had resigned the latter commission by February 1863.

Works

Clifford was the author of translations of

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his for ...

' '' Ranae'' and of the

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

's ''

Prometheus Vinctus ''Prometheus Bound'' ( grc, Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης, ''Promētheús Desmṓtēs'') is an Ancient Greek tragedy traditionally attributed to Aeschylus and thought to have been composed sometime between 479 BC and the terminus ant ...

''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, Charles, 4th Baronet 1821 births 1895 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Inner Temple Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight People educated at Charterhouse School People from Ryde UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885