RARE "Scottish Politician" Thomas Francis Kennedy Hand Written Free Frank For Sale

Up for sale a RARE! "Scottish Politician" Thomas Francis Kennedy Hand Written Free Frank affixed to another page Dated 1830. 

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Thomas Francis Kennedy (11 November 1788

– 1 April 1879), Scottish politician, was born

near Ayr in 1788. He studied for the bar and became advocate in 1811. Having been elected Member of Parliament for

the Ayr Burghs in

1818, he devoted the greater part of his life to the promotion of liberal reforms. In 1820 he married the only daughter

of Sir Samuel Romilly. He was

greatly assisted by Lord Cockburn, then

Mr. Henry Cockburn, and a

volume of correspondence published by Kennedy in 1874 forms a curious and

interesting record of the consultations of the two friends on measures which

they regarded as requisite for the political regeneration of their native

country. One of the first measures to which he directed his attention was the

withdrawal of the power of nominating juries from the judges,

and the imparting of a right of peremptory challenge to

prisoners. Among other subjects were the improvement of the parish schools, of pauper administration, and of several of the corrupt

forms of legal procedure which then prevailed. Kennedy took a prominent part in

the construction of the Scottish Reform Act 1832; indeed he and Lord Cockburn may almost be

regarded as its authors. After the accession of the Whigs to office in

1832 he held office in the ministry as Clerk of the Ordnance in

1832 and as a Junior Lord of the Treasury from

1832 to 1834, and most of the measures of reform for Scotland, such as burgh reform, the improvements in the law of entail, and the reform of the sheriff courts, owed much to his sagacity and energy. In 1837

he went to Ireland as pay master of civil services, and set himself to the promotion of various

measures of reform. Kennedy retired from office in 1854, but continued to take

keen interest in political affairs and up to his death in 1879 took a great

part in both county and parish business. He had a stern love of justice, and a

determined hatred of everything savouring of corruption or dishonesty.