Francis Goldsmid

Sir Francis Henry Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet (1 May 1808 – 2 May 1878)[2] was an Anglo-Jewish barrister and politician.

Sir Francis Goldsmid, Bt
"Barrister and Baronet" Goldsmid as caricatured by James Tissot in Vanity Fair, December 1872
Born	1 May 1808
Died	2 May 1878
Occupation	Barrister, politician
Net worth	£1 million[1]
Parent(s)	Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid
Relatives	Frederick Goldsmid (brother) Sir Julian Goldsmid (nephew)

Early life

The son of Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid and a member of the Goldsmid banking family, Francis was born in London,[3] and privately educated.

Career

Goldsmid was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1833, becoming the first Jew to become an English barrister,[3] and was made Queen's Counsel in 1858. In 1859 he succeeded to his father's honors. After the passing of the Jewish Disabilities Bill, in which he had aided his father with a number of pamphlets that attracted great attention, he entered Parliament in 1860 as member for the Reading constituency, and represented that constituency until his death.[3][4]

Goldsmid was strenuous on behalf of the Jewish religion, and the founder of the great Jews Free School.[3] He was a munificent contributor to charities and especially to the endowment of University College London.[3] He married Louisa Goldsmid who was his cousin. His wife was a campaigner for women's education.[5] He employed the author and translator Frederica Maclean Rowan as his secretary for some years.[6]

Marriage

He married his first cousin Louisa Sophia Goldsmid on 10 October 1839 at London, England.

Death and legacy

Sir Francis Henry Goldsmid 2nd Bt., died dsp on 2 May 1878 in St. Thomas's Hospital London following an accident that day when he fell between the platform and a carriage from which he was alighting at Waterloo Station. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his nephew Sir Julian Goldsmid,[3] son of Frederick Goldsmid.[3] Goldsmid Road in the town of Reading is named after Francis Goldsmid, and is the location of the town's Orthodox synagogue.

References

1. Rubinstein, William (2001). "Jewish top wealth—holders in Britain, 1809–1909". Jewish Historical Studies. 37: 144. JSTOR 29780032.
2. "House of Commons constituencies beginning with "R" (part 1)". Leigh Rayment's House of Commons pages. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
3. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Goldsmid" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 214.
4. "Francis Henry Goldsmid". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 23 August 2007.
5. Geoffrey Alderman, 'Goldsmid, Louisa Sophia, Lady Goldsmid (1819–1908)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 10 Sept 2015
6. F. T. Marzials, 'Rowan, Frederica Maclean (1814–1882)’, rev. Susanne Stark, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 15 Nov 2015

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir Francis Goldsmid
• Jewish Encyclopedia entry for Francis Henry Goldsmid