Constituency : Surrey East 1847-74
Peter was a younger son of Baron King and the brother of the Earl of Lovelace. He was educated at Harrow and Cambridge. He was a radical Whig and first stood for East Surrey in 1837. He got in in 1847 and soon proved himself to be one of the most active parliamentarians. He campaigned for a change to the laws of primogeniture and published a number of pamphlets on the issue. He was largely responsible for the Real Estate Charges Act of 1854 making mortgaged estates bear their own burdens. In 1856 he was successful in identifying and removing 20 obsolete statutes and denounced the work of the Statute Law Commission.
Peter was most famous for an annual motion to establish a £10 franchise in the counties which became a barometer for support for reform in the House; on one occasion it was actually passed by the Commons. He also supported the ballot and the abolition of church rates , being opposed to all religious endowments.
Peter was defeated in the 1874 election.
He died in 1885 aged 74.
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