State Trials, Political and Social. Volume 2 (of 2)
History
State Trials, Political and Social. Volume 2 (of 2)
Trials -- Great Britain
[33] Sir Nathan Wright (1653-1721), born of an Essex family, was
educated at Emmanuel College, and was called in 1677. He was junior
counsel for the Crown in the trial of the Seven Bishops, and opened the
pleadings. He became Serjeant in 1692. On the retirement of Lord Somers
in 1700, a difficulty was found in providing a successor, and eventually
the post of Lord Chancellor was offered to, and accepted by, Wright. He
enjoyed no reputation, good or bad, as a judge, except that he was very
slow, and generally considered unfit for the place. After holding office
for five years he was dismissed on the accession to power by the Whigs
in 1705. Speaking of his appointment as Lord Chancellor, Lord Campbell
says, 'The occasional occurrence of such elevations seems wisely
contrived by Providence to humble the vanity of those who succeed in
public life, and to soften the mortification of those who fail.'
[34] Thomas Lord Trevor (1659?-1730) was the son of a Secretary of State
of Charles II. He was called in 1680, became a bencher in 1689,
Solicitor-General in 1692, Attorney-General in 1695. He refused to
succeed Lord Somers in 1700; but in 1701 succeeded Sir George Treby as
Chief-Justice of the Common Pleas. He was re-appointed by Queen Anne,
and was one of the twelve peers created by her in 1711 to create a
majority in the House of Lords. He was removed from office in 1714 on
the accession of George I.; but leaving the Tory party, which he had
joined in Anne's reign, became Lord Privy Seal in 1726, and President of
the Council in 1730, but died six weeks afterwards. He enjoyed a
reputation as a good judge; but is chiefly remembered for his proper
conduct of Crown prosecutions as Attorney-General after the Revolution.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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