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Talleyrand-Périgord - French Statesman (1754-1838)
His full name was Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. He was a clergyman, a member of the National Assembly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs 1797-1808, and was created Grand Chamberlain in 1804 by Napoleon I. He opposed Napoleon's policies toward Russia and Spain, and later, after Napoleon's fall from power, he aided in the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. He was made Prime Minister by Louis XVIII in 1815. In 1830 he was made Ambassador to Great Britain, and helped form the Quadruple Alliance of Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal in 1834 to counter the alliance of Russia, Prussia and Austria.
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Edward Gibbon - English Historian (1737-1794)
He was prominent in intellectual circles, and was acquainted with the French philosopher, Voltaire. In 1764 Gibbon traveled to Rome, where he conceived of his greatest work, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", which remains the standard history on the Roman civilization. The first volume appeared in 1776, and the last in 1788. His critique of the institutions of early Christianity attracted great attention, and earned him the reputation of an atheist. He was cynical by nature, as evidenced in his famous definition of
history: "History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind."
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George Calvert - English Nobleman (ca. 1580 -1632)
Educated at Oxford, knighted in 1617, and a member of Parliament, Calvert served as Secretary of State and Privy Councilor under King James I. Calvert converted to Catholicism, and when anti-catholic legislation was being debated in Parliament in 1625, he resigned from his government posts. Granted the title Lord Baltimore, Calvert devoted the next seven years to creating a safe haven in America for Catholics being persecuted in England. He died a few months before his son established the Maryland colony by grant from King Charles I.
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Lionel Cranfield - English Nobleman (1575-1645)
He was a prosperous London merchant, and after introduction to King James I in 1605 he entered the royal service. He was knighted in 1613 and later rose through many posts including chief commissioner of the navy, lord high treasurer, and master of the wardrobe. He was created Earl of Middlesex in 1622. He served in Parliament but encountered political trouble after opposing a possible war with Spain. He was impeached for "corruption", found guilty, and sentenced. He was later pardoned and returned to his seat in the House of Lords.
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John Hampden - English Politician & Patriot (1594-1643)
Born into an ancient and wealthy English family and a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, he became a Parliamentary leader holding a seat in the House of Commons for 22 years. He was an advocate peoples' rights when they were being encroached upon by the increasingly unpopular King Charles I and his government. Hampden was imprisoned for his refusal to pay unreasonable taxes. Hampden was one of the five members of Parliament whose attempted arrest by Charles in 1642 helped to precipitate the English Civil War. Hampden was killed in battle in 1643.
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Francois Buzot - French Revolutionary (1760-1794)
He was a lawyer in his native town when the French Revolution broke out and was elected deputy to the states-general . He demanded the nationalization of the possessions of the clergy, and the right of all citizens to carry arms. In the trial of Louis XVI, Buzot voted for death, and decreed death to advocates of re-establishment of the monarchy. Pursued by his political enemies, he took refuge in Normandy where he organized a short-lived federalist insurrection. Buzot was declared an outlaw, fled to the Bordeaux region, and committed suicide.
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William Pitt - English Politician (1708-1778)
Known as William Pitt the Elder, and as The Great Commoner", his political life was turbulent and eventful. Often at odds with the two Kings under whom he served, he argued violently with fellow members of Parliament, and yet was instrumental in the securing of the Britain's huge empire. He advocated his views with exceptionally skilled oratory, opposing taxation of the American Colonies and against fighting there. He collapsed and died in the House of Lords while protesting the government's colonial policy. The U.S. city of Pittsburgh was named for him.
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Adam Smith - Scottish Economist (1723-1790)
He is most reknowned for his influential book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" written in 1776, which carefully examined the consequences of economic freedom, exploring the role of self-interest, the effects of division of labor, and the functioning of markets. He was a professor of logic at Glasgow University and lectured in the fields of ethics, rhetoric, jurisprudence and political economy. His work, especially "The Wealth of Nations", established economics as a distinct subject of study and gave birth to the doctrine of free enterprise.
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Friedrich Ludwig Jahn - German Educator (1778 - 1852)
He is known as the Father of Gymnastics, and "Turnvater Jahn". He founded the first Turnverein (fitness society) in Germany. He believed in the importance of complete mental and physical fitness, that a person should be educated in both book studies and physical exercise (called "Turnen"). Compatriots who agreed with his principles set up Turner societies throughout Germany. Many of those people supported the social revolutions of 1848 in Germany, and when those efforts failed to bring about social change, many moved to America and set up Turnvereins there.
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George Fox - English Religious Leader (1624-1691)
Fox travelled for forty years throughout England, Scotland, Holland, and America sermonizing that consecrated buildings and ordained ministers were irrelevant to a person seeking God. He rebelled against the state control of the Church of England. Shunning rigid systems, he refused to head a new sect, a new denomination, or a new church. Fox formed a group called the Friends of Truth, later known as the Society of Friends, and commonly known as the Quakers. Suffering persecution in England and Europe, many Friends sought refuge in the American colonies.
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