3-057-149 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Henry Austin Bruce, 1st Baron Aberdare, statesman, 1882. A lawyer, Austin Bruce (1815-1895) entered politics, being elected Liberal MP for Merthyr Tydfil in 1854. In 1869 he lost the seat, but was re-elected to the Commons as MP for Renfrewshire. He held various ministerial posts, notably Home Secretary under Gladstone in 1869-1873. In 1873 at Gladstone's request he became Lord President of the Council and was subsequently raised to the peerage. The defeat of the Liberals in the General Election of 1874 brought an end to Baron Aberdare's political life, but he went on to pursue a range of social, business and educational interests. He was Chairman of the National African Company from 1882, President of both the Historical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, and an active and influential campaigner for the establishment of the University of Wales in Cardiff.