Member of Parliament
Which position did Henry Richard hold between Aug 1882 and Feb 1883?
Henry Richard Rev . Henry Richard ( 3 April 1812 – 20 August 1888 ) , the Apostle of Peace , was a Congregational minister and Welsh Member of Parliament , 1868–1888 . Richard was an advocate of peace and international arbitration , as secretary of the Peace Society for forty years ( 1848–1884 ) . His other interests included anti-slavery work . Early life . Born in 1812 in Tregaron , Ceredigion , he was the second son of the Rev . Ebenezer Richard ( 1781–1837 ) , a Calvinistic Methodist minister . He was educated initially at Llangeitho grammar school , and attended Highbury College , near London , to obtain qualifications for the ministry . In 1835 , after ordination Richard was appointed pastor at the Congregational Marlborough Chapel , in the Old Kent Road , London . Its foundation stone had been laid by Thomas Wilson in 1826 . Richard succeeded the Rev . Thomas Hughes , and raised sufficient funds to pay off the chapels building loans and establish a school ( British School , Oakley Place ) . Secretary of the Peace Society . Rev . Henry Richard resigned in 1850 to devote himself full-time as secretary to the Peace Society , it was a post he had undertaken two years earlier on a part-time basis . He helped organize a series of congresses in the capitals of Europe , and was partly instrumental in securing the insertion of a declaration in favour of arbitration in the treaty of Paris in 1856 . Through this work he became universally known in Europe and the United States until his resignation in 1885 . Early political career . During the early 1860s , Henry Richard became a leading figure in the Liberation Society , whose main aim was the disestablishment of the Anglican Church . The Society increasingly focused its attentions on Richards native Wales and sought to contest parliamentary elections . While Richards published writings were critical of the landed gentrys influence over political life in Wales , he did nevertheless recognize that the deferential attitudes of those who held the vote at parliamentary elections would be a barrier to any potential political breakthrough . Indeed , in Cardiganshire , levels of support for the Liberation Society ( at least in terms of financial contributions ) were low . The lack of a political aspect to the countys nonconformity was illustrated at the 1865 general election when Richard briefly emerged as a potential Liberal candidate for Cardiganshire . 1865 general election . The sitting member for Cardiganshire , Colonel Powell of Nanteos , had indicated some twelve months prior to the election that he would retire and Sir Thomas Lloyd of Bronwydd had been selected as the Liberal candidate . However , when Powell reversed his decision , Lloyd issued an address stating that he would not oppose the sitting member . As a result , both Richard and David Davies , Llandinam offered themselves as candidates . On his arrival in Cardiganshire , Richard immediately visited Gogerddan to seek the views of the Pryse family and , as a result announced his candidature . The influence of Gogerddan was very strong in Aberystwyth and throughout the north of the county , and also particularly hostile to David Davies . Their support for Richard was influenced by their hostility towards Davies . A selection meeting was arranged to be held at Aberaeron , but shortly before this took place , Powell again announced his retirement . Richards agents visited Bronwydd to ascertain Lloyds intentions and , on understanding that Lloyd would now fight the seat after all , Richard withdrew in his favour . David Davies , however , did not withdraw and in his speech accepting nomination was particularly critical of Richards decision to withdraw . Davies came within 361 votes of victory . 1868 general election . In 1868 Henry Richard was elected Liberal member of parliament for the Merthyr boroughs in South Wales , Member of Parliament . Following his election , Richard become known as one of the foremost nonconformists in the House of Commons . Here he was a leading member of the party which advocated the removal of Nonconformist grievances and the disestablishment of the church in Wales . Chairman of the Congregational Union . In 1877 Henry Richard MP was appointed chairman of the Congregational Union of England and Wales . Author and journalist . Among Richards writings may be mentioned : - Defensive War ( 1846 and 1890 ) - The Recent Progress of International Arbitration ( 1884 ) on the subject of peace and conflict - Memoirs of Joseph Sturge ( 1864 ) in memory of the abolitionist and founder of the mid-nineteenth century Anti-Slavery Society , the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade ; - Letters on the Social and Political Condition of the Principality of Wales ( 1866 and 1884 ) reflecting his love of Wales ; He also prepared some of the material for the life of his friend and associate , Richard Cobden , which was written by John Morley , later Lord Morley . In the field of journalism he contributed to the Morning Star and the Evening Star . Abolitionist . Less well known for his anti-slavery work and unable to support the American Civil War as an appropriate means to end slavery , Henry Richard was nevertheless respected in this field . Indeed , a few weeks after his death , the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society ( now Anti-Slavery International ) , published an obituary in their journal , the Anti-Slavery Reporter . Death and memorials . Richard died suddenly of heart disease on 20August 1888 at the home of the Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey in Treborth , near Bangor . His body was brought to his London residence in Bolton Gardens , South Kensington , where it lay in state until his funeral on 31August . His imposing white stone and marble tomb in the form of a shrine with its own gabled roof , replete with his carved portrait , was erected by public subscription in 1891 over his grave at the Congregationalist model non-denominational garden cemetery , Abney Park Cemetery , Stoke Newington , London . The grave lies on an eastern path not far from the southern entrance . His wife Augusta Matilda lies with him . The equally imposing Henry Richard Memorial statue which dominates the Square at Tregaron was designed by Albert Toft and unveiled by Sir George Osborne Morgan on 18 August 1893 . The inscription on the plinth reads : Born here in Tregaron , he was educated for the Christian ministry , and in 1835 he was ordained in London . In 1848 he was appointed Secretary to the Peace Society , gaining an international reputation as The Apostle of Peace . In 1868 he became M.P . for the Merthyr constituency : and such was his concern for Welsh affairs that he became known as the Member for Wales . He was also a prominent pioneer in education : he served on several commissions of enquiry and in 1883 he became the first vice-president of Cardiff University College . I have always been mindful of three things:--Not to forget the language of my country ; and the people and cause of my country ; and to neglect no opportunity of defending the character and promoting the interests of my country . My hope for the abatement of the war system lies in the permanent conviction of the people , rather than the policies of cabinets or the discussions of parliaments .