Sir William Goodenough Hayter, 1st Baronet, PC, QC (28 January 1792 – 26 December 1878) was a British barrister and Whig politician. He is best remembered for his two tenures as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (government chief whip) between 1850 and 1852 and 1853 and 1858.

Background and education

Born at Winterbourne Stoke, Wiltshire, Hayter was the youngest son of John Hayter and Grace, daughter of Stephen Goodenough, of Codford, Wiltshire. He entered Winchester College in 1804 and matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford, on 24 October 1810, taking his BA in 1814.'' The Dictionary of National Biography''

Legal career

Hayter was called to the Bar,

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, on 23 November 1819, and became an equity draftsman and conveyancer. He attended the Wiltshire sessions, but retired from practice on being made a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

on 21 Feb 1839. He was, however, bencher of his inn on 15 April 1839, and treasurer in 1853.

Political career

On 24 July 1837 Hayter was returned to parliament for Wells, and sat for that constituency till 6 July 1865. In 1839 he voted for the repeal of the Corn Laws alongside Charles Pelham Villiers, and was present at all the divisions in favour of

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

. He served under Lord John Russell as Judge Advocate General from 30 December 1847 to 30 May 1849, when he was made

Financial Secretary to the Treasury The Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a mid-level ministerial post in HM Treasury. It is nominally the fifth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury after the first lord of the Treasury, the chancellor of the Exchequer, the ch ...

. In July 1850 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (chief government whip) by Russell, a post he held until March 1852, and again under Lord Aberdeen and Lord Palmerston from December 1852 to March 1858. The ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' states that "When Lord Derby came into power in 1852, Hayter marshalled the disorderly ranks of the liberal party with great success, and in the following governments of Lord Aberdeen and Lord Palmerston his powers developed, and his reputation steadily increased". Hayter was sworn of the Privy Council on 11 February 1848 and created a Baronet, of South Hill Park in the County of Berkshire, on 19 April 1858. Three years later, on 27 February 1861, he was presented by Lord Palmerston and 365 members of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

with a service of plate at a banquet in Willis's Rooms,'' Illustrated London News'', 9 March 1861. according to the ''Dictionary of National Biography'' "in remembrance of the courtesy, fairness, and efficiency with which he had discharged his duties for many years as liberal 'whip'". Hayter was not a frequent speaker in parliament, but took part in debates on matters within his knowledge. He was a member of the committee in Lord Denman's inquiry into the management of the woods and forests, as well as chairman of the committee on Feargus O'Connor's land scheme. Apart from his political and legal career Hayter was involved in farming. According to the ''Dictionary of National Biography'', "his farm, Lindsay, near Leighton,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, was kept in the highest state of cultivation, and was a model of economy and profitable management". He was also a member of the council of the Agricultural Society from its start in 1838.

Family

Hayter married Anne, eldest daughter of William Pulsford, of Linslade, Buckinghamshire, on 18 August 1832. During 1878 he fell into a depressed state of mind, and on 26 December was found drowned in a small lake in the grounds of his residence, South Hill Park, Easthampstead, Berkshire, aged 86. He was buried at Easthampstead on 2 January 1879 and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his only son

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

, who was elevated to the peerage as Baron Haversham in 1906. Lady Hayter died in London on 2 June 1889, aged 82.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayter, Sir William Goodenough, 1st Baronet 1792 births 1878 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Politicians from Wiltshire People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865