Biography

Richard Cobden was born in 1804 into a farming family in West Sussex .  In 1819 he worked as a clerk in his uncle's warehouse in London.

"In 1837 he stood as a parliamentary candidate for Stockport on a free trade platform but was unsuccessful. In 1838 he became one of the seven founding members of the Anti-Corn-Law League in Manchester. He conducted lecture tours all over England and he became an MP for Stockport in 1841.He was so committed to the cause of free trade that he became bankrupt. A public subscription of £80,000 was raised in recognition of his services, and in 1847 he used the money to buy back his childhood home and farm."

"In 1860 he was responsible for arranging a commercial treaty with France. He supported the north in the American Civil War."