Goschen

Goschen, The Right Hon. George Joachim, M.P., was born in 1831. He passed from Rugby to Oriel College, Oxford, where he took a first class in classics in 1858. In 1863 he was returned as a Liberal for the City of London, and gave strong support to the movement for abolishing religious tests in the universities. In 1865 he joined Lord John Russell's Ministry as Vice-President of the Board of Education, being transferred next year to the Chancellorship of the Duchy of Lancaster with a seat in the Cabinet. In 1868 he returned to power with Mr. Gladstone, holding office until 1874 first as President of the Poor Law Board, next as First Lord of the Admiralty. He proceeded to Egypt in 1876 as representative of the British bondholders, and assisted in drawing up the agreement for reorganising the finances of that country. This mission was followed up by a visit to Constantinople in 1880, under Mr. Gladstone's auspices, as Ambassador Extraordinary, and he obtained from Turkey partial recognition of the claims of Greece under the Berlin Treaty. Meanwhile he had resigned his seat for the City of London, and had been elected M.P. for Ripon. He now began to show marked dislike to the tendencies of his party His vote was given against Mr. Gladstone's Egyptian policy, and he joined in opposing the extension of the franchise in 1884. He was returned in 1885 for East Edinburgh against a/ Liberal candidate, but in 1886, having openly thrown off his allegiance to Mr. Gladstone, he lost his seat and found a more congenial constituency in St. George's, Hanover Square. Before the year was over he accepted the Chancellorship of the Exchequer in Lord Salisbury's Ministry. His measure for reducing the interest nn the National Debt was ably worked out and skilfully carried through. In 1890 Mr. Goschen was chosen Lord Rector of the University of Edinburgh. In 1895, on the return of the Unionists to power, he became First Lord of the Admiralty in Lord Salisbury's Ministry.