Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 60.djvu/139

 of his father on 11 Aug. 1756 altered Wedderburn's prospects, and intensified his desire to abandon Edinburgh. His exit was dramatic. In August 1757 he was opposed to Alexander Lockhart (afterwards Lord Covington of Session) in a case which he won against his veteran adversary. Stung by a depreciatory remark made by Lockhart, the young advocate replied so intemperately that he was rebuked by the presiding judge, Lord-president Craigie. The other judges were of opinion that Wedderburn should retract and apologise; but instead of doing so, he took off his advocate's gown, laid it on the bar, and, declaring that he would wear it no more, he left the court, never again to enter it. That night he set out for London, determined to make his way at the English bar. He rented chambers in the Temple, and, as his first step towards success, he took lessons in elocution from the elder Sheridan and afterwards from the actor Quin, so that he might overcome his provincial accent. On 25 Nov. 1757 he was called to the bar. His practice for several years was not great, but he became an intimate friend of the Earl of Bute, and when that nobleman came into power after the death of George II in 1760, Wedderburn came into notice. On 28 Dec. 1761 he was returned to parliament as member for the Ayr burghs, and retained this seat till 1768. He ‘took silk’ and was chosen a bencher of Lincoln's Inn in February 1763, and joined the northern circuit. Here he was not so successful as he had anticipated, and shortly afterwards he took up his residence permanently in London, practising chiefly in the court of chancery. He soon made a name for himself as an equity lawyer. Important cases from Scotland were entrusted to him, and he was counsel for the respondent in the famous Douglas cause, in which he greatly distinguished himself, though the final judgment was against his client [see, first ].

On 21 March 1768 Wedderburn was returned as member of parliament for Richmond, Yorkshire. He entered the house as a tory; but in the following year he warmly espoused the cause of Wilkes, and delivered so violent a speech against the government that he felt bound in honour to accept the Chiltern Hundreds and resign his seat. Within a few days Lord Clive offered him the borough of Bishop's Castle, Shropshire, a vacancy having been created by the retirement of William Clive, and Wedderburn took his seat as an ardent supporter of the popular party. He represented this constituency till 1774.

Wedderburn began the session of 1770 in violent opposition to Lord North's administration, and lost no opportunity of attacking the government alike on home and colonial policy. He has been accused, not without reason, of having adopted this attitude for the purpose of compelling Lord North to purchase his support. His ambition was unbounded, and it is probable that he coveted the office of lord chancellor from the beginning of his parliamentary career. But Wedderburn did not at first listen to the cautious overtures made by Lord North. When, however, Lord Chatham, towards the close of 1770, sought to attach him to the whig party by personal attentions, he justified the epithet of ‘the wary Wedderburn,’ applied to him by Junius. It was evident that his ardour for the popular cause was cooling, and at length Lord North was able to bid for his support. On 25 Jan. 1771 Thurlow was gazetted as attorney-general, and Wedderburn succeeded his great rival as solicitor-general. This conversion has been justly described as ‘one of the most flagrant cases of ratting recorded in our party annals.’ There was no change of policy on the part of the government to excuse so virulent an opponent becoming a devoted partisan of Lord North. Wedderburn was also appointed at the same time chancellor to the queen and a privy councillor (Hist. MSS. Comm. 10th Rep. App. vi. 3). He had thoroughly broken his connection with the whig party. Though Lord Clive was indignant at Wedderburn's conversion, the new solicitor-general had no difficulty in securing his re-election for Bishop's Castle.

The reputation which Wedderburn had gained as a parliamentary debater was greatly increased after he took office. At the election in 1774 he was chosen for two places—Castle Rising, Norfolk, and Okehampton, Devonshire; and, selecting the latter, he sat as its member till 1778. In June of that year, when Thurlow received the great seal, Wedderburn was promoted to the attorney-generalship, and became once more member for Bishop's Castle. During his tenure of office he had many difficult cases to conduct, while the defence of the government through all the blundering of the American war was no light task. It was, besides, plainly seen by Wedderburn that the ministry could not retain its hold upon office much longer, and he was the more eager to obtain a secure place on the bench while opportunity remained. At length, on 14 June 1780, he was appointed chief justice of the court of common pleas, and raised to the peerage with the title of Baron Loughborough of