William Edward Forster | |
|---|---|
 William Edward Forster in 1851 | |
| Chief Secretary for Ireland | |
| In office 30 April 1880 – 6 May 1882 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | William Ewart Gladstone |
| Preceded by | James Lowther |
| Succeeded by | Lord Frederick Cavendish |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 July 1818 Bradpole, Dorset |
| Died | 5 April 1886 (aged 67) |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Jane Martha Arnold |
William Edward Forster, PC, FRS (11 July 1818 – 5 April 1886) was an English industrialist, philanthropist and Liberal Party statesman. As a minister in Gladstone's government, he steered through the Elementary Education Act 1870 which was the foundation of compulsory national free education for children in the UK. However his reputation was later greatly tarnished by his coercive policies as minister for Ireland, then in the throes of a struggle for independence. His purported advocacy of the Irish Constabulary's use of lethal force against the National Land League earned him the nickname Buckshot Forster from Irish nationalists.[1]
- ^ Doyle, Mark (2016). Communal Violence in the British Empire: Disturbing the Pax. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 143. ISBN 9781474268264.