The New Student's Reference Work/Bagehot, Walter

Bagehot (băg' ŭt or  băg' ŭt), Walter, a noted English economic writer and littérateur, was born at Langport, Somersetshire, February 3, 1826, and died there March 24, 1877. He graduated at the University of London in 1848, studied law, and was called to the English bar. Instead, however, of making law his profession, he joined his father in banking, and was soon recognized as an authority in finance, and widely known as an accomplished writer and critic. From 1854 to 1863 he was one of the editors of the National Review, to which he contributed many able papers on literary, biographical and theological subjects. At the Review's decease he wrote for The Fortnightly, and between the years 1860 and 1877 was editor of The Economist. He published a number of widely-known books, among which are a text-book on The English Constitution; Lombard Street, a description of the money market; Physics and Politics, "a work which does for human society what the Origin of Species does for organic life;" and three volumes entitled respectively, Literary Studies, Economic Studies and Biographical Studies. The latter was not published until after Bagehot's death, when it appeared, edited by R. H. Hutton.