Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury


The Earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftsbury by John Collier
SuccessorThe 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
Known forPhilanthropy
Years active44 years
Born(1801-04-28)28 April 1801
24 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, London, England
Died1 October 1885(1885-10-01) (aged 84)
12 Clifton Gardens, Folkestone, Kent, England
Cause of deathInflammation of the lungs
BuriedThe parish church on his estate at Wimborne St Giles, Dorset
NationalityBritish
Spouse(s)Lady Emily Cowper
Issue10
ParentsCropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury
Lady Anne Spencer
Quartered arms of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, KG

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury KG (28 April 1801 – 1 October 1885[1]), styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was a British Tory politician, philanthropist, and social reformer. He was the eldest son of the 6th Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Anne Spencer (daughter of the 4th Duke of Marlborough), and elder brother of Henry Ashley, MP. A social reformer who was called the "Poor Man's Earl", he campaigned for better working conditions, reform to lunacy laws, education and the limitation of child labour. He was also an early supporter of the Zionist movement and the YMCA and a leading figure in the evangelical movement in the Church of England.

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