Passage: The term was popularized in 1807 by English polemicist William Cobbett, who told a story of having used a kipper (a strong-smelling smoked fish) to divert hounds from chasing a hare.

Question: Based on this passage, where did the red herring phrase come from?
Steam of consciousness below:
To answer the above question, the relevant sentence is: The term was popularized in 1807 by English polemicist William Cobbett, who told a story of having used a kipper (a strong-smelling smoked fish) to divert hounds from chasing a hare.
So, the answer is English polemicist William Cobbett.