Constituency : Southwark 1857-80
John was a surveyor's son. He was educated at Dulwich College and Cambridge. He became a barrister. He had a large house in London and frequently entertained there.
John was a frequent speaker in the House with a dry sense of humour. He often spoke on legal reform introducing a bill allowing oaths of affirmation in criminal cases.
The cartoon above is from Vanity Fair and is captioned "The only man who is ever known to make Mr Gladstone smile" but I have not been able to discover to what this refers. The magazine went on to describe him as a "sturdy Radical of the old style" and "always to be found in the front of any struggle that may arise for the popular rights or privileges".
John died in 1880 aged 84 giving the Tories a short-lived gain in the by-election.
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