Charles Austin (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Charles Austin was an English lawyer, prominent in the Railway Mania
of the later 1840s.
; John Austin
was his elder brother. He was educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School. He was for a time apprenticed to a surgeon at Norwich
, but was then sent to Jesus College, Cambridge
in 1819. In 1822 he won the Hulsean prize for an essay on Christian evidence. In 1824 he graduated B.A. According to John Stuart Mill
, Austin as undergraduate was an influential exponent of the ideas of Jeremy Bentham
; and he had a reputation for brilliance as one of a group of contemporaries that included Thomas Babington Macaulay, Winthrop Mackworth Praed
, John Moultrie, Edward Strutt, John Romilly, Charles Buller
, and Alexander James Edmund Cockburn.
, read in the chambers of Sir William Follett, then in the height of his fame as an advocate, and was called to the bar in 1827. He joined the Norfolk circuit, and went to the Ipswich, Bury, and Norwich sessions. His conversational powers were highly regarded. He wrote for the Parliamentary History and Review, and contributed occasionally to the Retrospective Review and the Westminster Review
, until his rapid success as a barrister.
It was the wish of Austin's friends that he should enter parliament, and James Mill
used his influence with Joseph Hume
in order to get him returned for Bath
; but Austin never stood as a candidate. In 1841 he was made Queen's Counsel
. In 1847, at the height of the railway mania, his income was enormous — estimates vary from £40,000 to £100,000.
and chairman of the quarter-sessions of East Suffolk.
He married, in 1856, Harriet Jane, daughter of Captain Ralph Mitford Preston Ingelby. He died at Brandeston Hall, near Wickham Market
, on 21 December 1874.
Railway Mania
The Railway Mania was an instance of speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
of the later 1840s.
Early life
Austin was the second son of Jonathan Austin, of Creeting Mill, in the county of SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
; John Austin
John Austin (legal philosopher)
John Austin was a noted British jurist and published extensively concerning the philosophy of law and jurisprudence....
was his elder brother. He was educated at Bury St Edmunds Grammar School. He was for a time apprenticed to a surgeon at Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, but was then sent to Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
in 1819. In 1822 he won the Hulsean prize for an essay on Christian evidence. In 1824 he graduated B.A. According to John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, economist and civil servant. An influential contributor to social theory, political theory, and political economy, his conception of liberty justified the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state control. He was a proponent of...
, Austin as undergraduate was an influential exponent of the ideas of Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
; and he had a reputation for brilliance as one of a group of contemporaries that included Thomas Babington Macaulay, Winthrop Mackworth Praed
Winthrop Mackworth Praed
Winthrop Mackworth Praed was an English politician and poet.-Early life:He was born in London. The family name of Praed was derived from the marriage of the poet's great-grandfather to a Cornish heiress. Winthrop's father, William Mackworth Praed, was a serjeant-at-law. His mother belonged to the...
, John Moultrie, Edward Strutt, John Romilly, Charles Buller
Charles Buller
Charles Buller , was a British barrister, politician and reformer.-Background and education:Born in Calcutta, British India, Buller was the son of Charles Buller , a member of a well-known Cornish family, and Barbara Isabella Kirkpatrick, daughter of General William Kirkpatrick, considered an...
, and Alexander James Edmund Cockburn.
Lawyer
Having chosen law as a profession, Austin entered as a student at the Middle TempleMiddle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
, read in the chambers of Sir William Follett, then in the height of his fame as an advocate, and was called to the bar in 1827. He joined the Norfolk circuit, and went to the Ipswich, Bury, and Norwich sessions. His conversational powers were highly regarded. He wrote for the Parliamentary History and Review, and contributed occasionally to the Retrospective Review and the Westminster Review
Westminster Review
The Westminster Review was a quarterly British publication. Established in 1823 as the official organ of the Philosophical Radicals, it was published from 1824 to 1914. James Mill was one of the driving forces behind the liberal journal until 1828....
, until his rapid success as a barrister.
It was the wish of Austin's friends that he should enter parliament, and James Mill
James Mill
James Mill was a Scottish historian, economist, political theorist, and philosopher. He was a founder of classical economics, together with David Ricardo, and the father of influential philosopher of classical liberalism, John Stuart Mill.-Life:Mill was born at Northwater Bridge, in the parish of...
used his influence with Joseph Hume
Joseph Hume
Joseph Hume FRS was a Scottish doctor and Radical MP, born in Montrose, Angus.-Medical career:He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and moved to India in 1797...
in order to get him returned for Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
; but Austin never stood as a candidate. In 1841 he was made Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
. In 1847, at the height of the railway mania, his income was enormous — estimates vary from £40,000 to £100,000.
Later life
In 1848 he retired from practice with a large fortune. From that time to that of his death he lived in retirement. He was high-steward of IpswichIpswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and chairman of the quarter-sessions of East Suffolk.
He married, in 1856, Harriet Jane, daughter of Captain Ralph Mitford Preston Ingelby. He died at Brandeston Hall, near Wickham Market
Wickham Market
Wickham Market is a large village situated in the River Deben valley of Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coastal heritage area.It is on the A12 trunk road thirteen miles north-east of the county town of Ipswich, five miles north-east of Woodbridge. Its railway station is located approximately...
, on 21 December 1874.