636 Henry Richard

Constituency : Merthyr  Tydfil  1868-88

Henry  was  one  of  the  two  more  radical  Liberals  who  pushed  Henry  Bruce  out  of  his  seat.

Henry  was  educated  at  a  Welsh  grammar  school  then  went  to  a  college  in  Highbury  for  the training  to  be  a  Congregationalist  minister. He  was  pastor  at  a chapel  in  London  but  he resigned  his  ministry  in  1850  to  become  full  time  secretary  of  the  Peace  Society. He  helped to  organise  a  number  of  "congresses"  in  European  capitals  gaining  an  international  reputation  as  The  Apostle  of  Peace". He  had  some  influence  in  introducing  an  arbitration  clause  in  the  Treaty  of  Paris.  He  was  a  friend  and  associate  Cobden. He  spoke  out  against  slavery  and  was  respected  by  the  movement  despite  his  refusal  to  support  the  American  Civil  War  as  a  means  to  end  it. He  was active  in  the  Liberation  Society  which  aimed  at  disestablishment  of  the  Anglican  church. He  helped  point  their  efforts  towards  Wales  and   intended  to  contest  Cardiganshire  in  1865  until  dissuaded  by  the  local  hierarchy.

 Henry's  maiden  speech  was  a  long  one  in  support  of  disestablishing  the  Irish  church, Henry  became  a  leading  advocate  of  removing  Nonconformist  grievances  and  disestablishing  the  Welsh  church. He  was  sometimes  referred  to  as  the  "Member  for  Wales". He  was  also  active  in  education  having  been  a  fierce  critic  of  the  infamous  "Blue  Books"  report  on  Welsh  education. He  put  down  a  motion  extolling  international  arbitration  in  1872. The  Spectator's  obituary  credited  Henry  with  making  the  Alabama  settlement  politically  possible.

Henry  became  chairman  of  the  Congregational  Union  in  1877.

Henry  criticised  the  annexation  of  Burma  in  1886 : "an  act  of  high-handed  violence  for  which there  is  no adequate  justification".  With  some  foresight  as  to  what  was  to  come  he  put  down a  motion  to  prohibit  national  commitments  without  parliamentary  consent.

Henry  wrote  books  on  Wales, peace  and  the  anti-slavery  campaigner  Joseph  Sturge. He  also  prepared  materials  for  Morley's  life  of  Cobden.

In  one  of  his  last  speeches  in  1887  Henry  warned  that  Welsh  members  may  take  similar action  to  the  Irish  obstructionists if  their  grievances  were  not  addressed.

He  died  in  1888  aged  76.