Constituency : Cockermouth 1836-52, Stroud 1853-68, Liskeard 1869-76
Edward was the son of a wealthy Scot who had married a baronet's daughter. He went to Rugby and Cambridge and became a Scottish barrister but soon turned to politics. He first contested Cockermouth in 1835 and got in the following year. In 1840 he fought a duel with another MP who he felt had insulted the queen.He was a junior whip in the last year of Melbourne's government. During Russell's government he emerged as a fierce and sometimes personal critic of his ecclesiastical policy moving a vote of censure on the ecclesiastical commissioners in 1847. Not for the last time in his career he was denounced as "a disappointed man ".He was defeated in 1852 and went south to Stroud where he got in unopposed the following year. In the early 1850s he was a "Goderichite" supporting the future Lord Ripon's calls for administrative reform. As a moderate he was regarded favourably by Palmerston who appointed him Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1855. He resigned the post after the 1857 election in order to pursue a more independent line. It seemed only that he was only Liberal in that he despised Derby and Disraeli slightly more than Palmerston and Russell". He became known for his grouchiness, Punch commenting that "Horsman and hope" was an equivalent toast to "Gladstone and few words". He opposed evicting the Tories over Reform as that would only postpone a settlement "to a period when the passions of the million may be brought in to override and usurp the functions of a statesman".
Edward was originally perceived as an extreme Radical but this was more due to his rudeness in debate than his actual politics. His future ally Lowe wrote in The Times of his "strain of bitter and uncalled-for personality ".
Edward was a fly in the ointment at the Willis's Tea Room meeting, still wanting the Tories to settle Reform. In 1861 he foretold "The day is not far distant when a new conflict of opinions must begin, and every earnest politician will have to buckle on his armour". In 1862 he tabled an amendment to Stansfield's motion on retrenchment stressing the need for continued defence spending. In 1865 Russell considered bringing him into the Cabinet thinking it might placate around two dozen dissenters.
Instead Edward became an Adullamite and was initially perceived as their leader; in Bright's famous words he retreated "into what may be called his political cave of Adullam, into which he invited every one who was in distress, and every one who was discontented". Unsurprisingly Edward had a different view of his conduct ; he was the keeper of the flame of Palmerstonian moderation ; "Lord Palmerston would never have been weak enough to be persuaded that England would be governed from Manchester or the Liberal party dominated over by the member for Birmingham . The wise and tranquil policy of Lord Palmerston was to be reversed , the days of truce and compromise were over, and so was the reign of moderate Liberalism behind the Treasury benches." He described Gladstone's speech introducing the Bill in 1866 as "Another bid for power... another political fraud and parliamentary juggle". In the 1867 debates he declared "There is an irreconcilable enmity between democracy and freedom".
In 1868 he left Stroud to challenge James Merry at Falkirk Burghs but was seen off. He re-entered Parliament at Liskeard in 1869 fighting off a challenge from a more advanced Liberal and had to do the same again in 1874.
He died in France in 1876 aged 68.
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