Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock, 1st Baronet,
PC (23 September 1783 – 28 August 1870) was a British lawyer and
Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
politician.
Background and education
Pollock was the son of saddler to HM King George III
David Pollock, of
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, and the elder brother of Field Marshal
Sir George Pollock, 1st Baronet. An elder brother, Sir David Pollock, was a judge in India.
The Pollock family were a branch of that family of Balgray, Dumfriesshire; David Pollock's father was a burgess of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and his grandfather a yeoman of Durham. His business as a saddler was given the official custom of the royal family.
Sir John Pollock, 4th Baronet, great-great-grandson of David Pollock, stated in Time's Chariot (1950) that David was, 'perhaps without knowing it', Pollock of Balgray, the senior line of the family (Pollock of Pollock or Pollock of that ilk) having died out.
Pollock was educated at
St Paul's School and
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
. He was
Senior Wrangler
The Senior 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 achiev ...
at
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
. He is also thought to be one of the founding members of the
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a historic Debate, debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. The society was founded in 1815 making it the ...
, along with
Henry Bickersteth and
Sir Edward Hall Alderson, both of
Gonville and Caius College.
Political, legal and mathematical careers
Pollock was
Member of Parliament (MP) for
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...
from 1831 to 1844. He served as
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
between 1834 and 1835 and 1841 and 1844 in the
Tory
A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
administrations of
Sir Robert Peel. In 1841 he was admitted to the
Privy Council and in 1844 he was appointed
Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, a post he held until 1868.
In 1854, Pollock was appointed to the
Royal Commission for Consolidating the Statute Law, a
royal commission
A royal commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies. They have been held in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. In republics an equi ...
to consolidate existing statutes and enactments of
English law
English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...
.
Having been
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
on 29 December 1834, Pollock was created a Baronet, of
Hatton in the
County of Middlesex, on 2 August 1866.
Apart from his political and legal career Pollock was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1816. He contributed a number of papers in mathematics to the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, including one on what is now known as the
Pollock's conjecture.
Family
Pollock died in August 1870, aged 86, and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son,
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, sometime
Queen's Remembrancer. His fourth son,
Charles Edward Pollock, apprenticed to his father, had no university education. He became a law reporter then co-serving
Baron of the Court of Exchequer, becoming the last in that appeal court. Another son,
George Frederick Pollock, was Master of the Supreme Court succeeded his eldest brother as
Queen's Remembrancer. Another son,
Edward James Pollock, became an
Official Referee.
Two of Pollock's grandsons became prominent lawyers:
Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet
Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet PC, FBA (10 December 1845 – 18 January 1937) was an English jurist best known for his ''History of English Law before the Time of Edward I'', written with F.W. Maitland, and his lifelong correspondence ...
(d.1937), was Professor of Jurisprudence at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
;
Ernest Pollock, 1st Viscount Hanworth
Ernest Murray Pollock, 1st Viscount Hanworth (25 November 1861 – 22 October 1936), was a British Conservative politician, lawyer and judge. He served as Master of the Rolls from 1923 to 1935.
Background
Pollock was born in Wimbledon, London, ...
(d.1936), served as
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...
.
References
External links
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Descendants of Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Bt.*
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* Archives of Sir Frederick Pollock, 1st Barone
(Sir Jonathan Frederick Pollock and family fonds, R1358)are held at
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Sir Frederick, 1st Baronet
1783 births
1870 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Attorneys general for England and Wales
Chief Barons of the Exchequer
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
UK MPs 1831–1832
UK MPs 1832–1835
UK MPs 1835–1837
UK MPs 1837–1841
UK MPs 1841–1847
Fellows of the Royal Society
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
Senior Wranglers
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council