Joseph Cowen

Joseph Cowen

Joseph Cowen (1829 – February 18, 1900), English politician and journalist, son of Sir Joseph Cowen, a prominent citizen and Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne from 1865 to 1873, was born at Stella Hall, Blaydon (demolished 1955). Cowen junior was educated privately in Ryton and at Edinburgh University, where he interested himself in European revolutionary movements.

Cowen then joined his father in his Blaydon brick business, smuggling documents abroad in the consignments of bricks. Cowen numbered among his friends Mazzini, Louis Blanc and Ledru-Rollin, as well as Herzen and Bakunin. Garibaldi and Lajos Kossuth came to visit him in Blaydon. His purse assisted them and his pen advocated their cause.

In 1874, he was elected Member of Parliament, succeeding his father, who had held the Newcastle seat as a Liberal since 1865. Joseph Cowen was at that time a strong Radical on domestic questions. He was also a sympathizer with Irish Nationalism, and one who in speech, dress and manner identified himself with the North East mining class.

Short in stature and uncouth in appearance, his individuality first shocked and then by its earnestness impressed the House of Commons; and his sturdy independence of party ties, combined with a gift of rough but genuine eloquence (of which his speech on the Royal Title Bill of 1876 was an example), rapidly made him one of the best-known public men in the country.

He was, moreover, an Imperialist and a Colonial Federationist at a time when Liberalism was tied and bound to the Manchester traditions; and, to the consternation of the official wire-pullers, he vigorously supported Disraeli's foreign policy, and in 1881 opposed the Gladstonian settlement with the Boers.

His independence (which his detractors attributed in some degree to his alleged susceptibility to Tory compliments) brought him into collision both with the Liberal caucus and with the party organization in Newcastle itself, but Cowen's personal popularity and his remarkable powers as an orator triumphed in his own birthplace, and he was again elected in 1885 in spite of Liberal opposition.

Shortly afterwards, however, the 'Blaydon Brick' retired both from parliament and from public life, professing his disgust at the party intrigues of politics, and devoted himself to conducting his newspaper, the "Newcastle Daily Chronicle", and to his private business. In this capacity he exercised a wide influence on local opinion, and the revolt of the Newcastle electorate in later years against "doctrinaire" Radicalism was largely due to his constant preaching of a broader outlook on national affairs. He served as President of the first day of the 1873 Co-operative Congress.Citation | title = Congress Presidents 1869-2002| url =http://archive.co-op.ac.uk/downloadFiles/congressPresidentstable.pdf|date=February 2002| accessdate =2008-05-10]

Behind the scenes he continued to play a powerful part in forming North-country opinion until his death. A fine bronze statue of Cowen stands in Fenkle Street in Newcastle. His letters were published by his daughter in 1909.

References

*1911
*Rayment


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Joseph Cowen — (* 1868; † 1932) war Kaufmann in London und Freund von Theodor Herzl. Nach Teilnahme am ersten Zionistenkongress wurde er einer von Herzls wirksamsten Helfern in England. 1902 begleitete er Herzl nach Konstantinopel zum Besuch Sultan Abdul Hamids …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • COWEN, JOSEPH — (1868–1932), a founder and leader of the Zionist movement in Great Britain. Born in Davenport, Cowen was initially indifferent to Jewish affairs. Persuaded to attend the First zionist congress by his relative, israel zangwill , he thereafter… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Cowen — may refer to: People Brian Cowen (born 1960), Irish Taoiseach, former Minister for Finance and Leader of the Fianna Fáil party Bernard Cowen (1932 1984), Irish politician and father of the above Elise Cowen (born 1933), American Beat poet… …   Wikipedia

  • Cowen — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Brian Cowen (* 1960), irischer Politiker und amtierender irischer Ministerpräsident Elise Cowen (1933–1962), US amerikanische Dichterin der Beat Generation Frederic Hymen Cowen (1852–1935), englischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph Chamberlain — The Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain The Rt. Hon. Joseph Chamberlain Leader of the Opposition …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Parker — For|the English cricketer|Joseph Parker (cricketer)Joseph Parker (9 April 1830 28 November 1902) was an English Nonconformist divine. Born in Hexham, Parker was the son of Teasdale Parker, a stone mason, and Elizabeth, née Dodd. He managed to… …   Wikipedia

  • Joseph Brennan (Irland) — Joseph Brennan (* 14. Februar 1912; † 13. Juli 1980) war ein irischer Politiker der Fianna Fáil sowie Vorsitzender (Ceann Comhairle) des Unterhauses (Dáil Éireann). Biografie Brennan, der ursprünglich Kaufmann und Auktionator war, begann seine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph McGrath — (* 1887 in Dublin; † 1. März 1966 ebenda) war ein irischer Politiker der Sinn Féin sowie der Cumann na nGaedhael. Biografie McGrath, der Mitglied der Irischen Republikanischen Bruderschaft war, war aktiver Teilnehmer am Osteraufstand von 1916.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cowen, Joseph — (1868–1932)    British Zionist. A devoted Zionist, Cowen helped found the British Zionist Federation in 1899. In 1902 he travelled with HERZL to Constantinople to see the sultan, and in Herzl’s book Altneuland, Cowen is the prototype of Joe Levy …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Brian Cowen — Taoiseach In office 7 May 2008 – 9 March 2011 Tánaiste Mary Coughlan …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”