Anthony Ashley Cooper 7th earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley Cooper Shaftesbury, 7th earl of 1801-85, English social reformer. He was known as Lord Ashley until 1851, when he succeeded his father as earl. Entering the House of Commons in 1826, he became a leading advocate of government action to alleviate the injustices caused by the Industrial Revolution. Notable legislation introduced by him included acts prohibiting employment of women and children in coal mines (1842), providing for care of the insane (1845), and establishing a 10-hr day for factory workers (1847). He promoted the building of model tenements and the "ragged schools" for waifs.

Bibliography: See biographies by J. L. Hammond and B. Hammond (4th ed. 1936), G. F. Best (1964), and G. Battiscombe (1975).

Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of (1801–85) British philanthropist and social reformer. He was a dominant figure of the 19th-century social reform movement, inspiring much of the legislation designed to improve conditions for the large working class created as a result of the Industrial Revolution. His reforms included the introduction of the ten-hour working day (1847); he was also actively involved in improving housing and education for the poor.

Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of (1621–83) British statesman. Shaftesbury was a member of the Commonwealth council of state under Oliver Cromwell. Dismayed by the autocracy of the Protectorate, he supported the Restoration of Charles II (1660), and was rewarded with the chancellorship. Opposed to the Earl of Clarendon, Shaftesbury became lord chancellor (1672) but was soon dismissed. His determination to prevent the succession of the Catholic James II drove him to found (1673) the Whigs in opposition to the Earl of Danby. Shaftesbury's support for the Duke of Monmouth led to his exile (1682) in Holland.