Cobden, Richard (1804-1865), was a British political leader who strongly supported free trade and economic noninterference by the government. He believed that eliminating tariffs and other restrictions on trade would improve relations between nations.
Cobden was one of the founding members of the Anti-Corn Law League in 1839. The United Kingdom’s Corn Laws were designed to keep foreign imports of grain out of the country and to maintain the profits of British farmers. Cobden was elected to Parliament in 1841 and played a major role in the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. Cobden also opposed the United Kingdom’s part in the Crimean War (1853-1856). In 1860, he arranged a commercial treaty with France. Cobden spoke out strongly in favor of the North during the American Civil War (1861-1865).
Cobden was born on June 3, 1804, in Heyshott, West Sussex, England. He died on April 2, 1865.
