Intellectual duke: George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, 1823-1900
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Date
2006Author
Mulhern, Kirsteen Mairi
Metadata
Abstract
The lives of many nineteenth century political figures have recently been examined in
some depth by a variety of authors. Almost every prominent politician who lived
during the reign of Queen Victoria has been the subject of at least one modem
biographical study. George Douglas Campbell, the 8th Duke of Argyll (1823-1900).
However, has been almost completely neglected by historians and has most often been
portrayed, when he is mentioned at all, as a figure of minor importance in the
Victorian political arena. No biography of him has ever been attempted and the result
has been that his image throughout the hundred years since his death has remained
largely unchanged from that which the man himself presented in his own fascinating,
accomplished, but heavily biased autobiography. This has created a false impression
of the duke and in no way reflects his status during his own lifetime. One of the main
aims of the present study is to correct this anomaly and to investigate the actions and
motivations of this man who is so often mentioned but so rarely understood.
Argyll was a member of every Liberal cabinet from the time of Lord Aberdeen's
coalition in the 1850s until his resignation from Gladstone's second cabinet in 1881.
His life spanned almost the entire reign of Queen Victoria and he held an extremely
high reputation as an orator, both within the House of Lords and on public platforms.
However, he was more than just a politician. He was one of the largest landowners in
the country and ran his vast Scottish estates in accordance with his own ideological
vision for their future. In addition he was a respected author on a variety of subjects.
He was a poet, an amateur scientist and a philosopher and developed his own
particular set of ideas and beliefs. Although many of these aspects of his life have
been completely ignored by modem historians, they are essential features to consider
when trying to understand Argyll the politician. This study will examine all of these
factors and attempt to synthesise them to create a fuller account of the man, his life
and his works. In so doing, it is hoped that this truly 'intellectual duke' will emerge
from the relative obscurity in which he has remained since his death in 1900 and take
his place once more beside the famous colleagues and opponents with whom he stood
during his lifetime.