Thomas Hare
(1806-1891), Political reformerSitter in 4 portraits
Trained in the law, Hare was called to the Bar in 1833. In 1853, he became Inspector of Charities and in 1872 he was made Assistant Commissioner on the Royal City Charities Commission. Hare is best remembered for his efforts to devise a system of proportional representation of all classes in the United Kingdom. He was concerned that the political system failed to address social issues of the day and he thought that the answer was a more representative parliament, to be achieved through a change to the voting system. His Machinery of Representation appeared in 1857 and many editions of his Treatise on the Election of Representatives: Parliamentary and Municipalappeared between 1859 and 1873.
by Lowes Cato Dickinson
oil on canvas, feigned oval, 1867
NPG 1819
by Alice Westlake (née Hare)
pencil, circa 1885
NPG 1820
by Camille Silvy
albumen print, 27 April 1863
NPG Ax62758
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