b. 1803-05-25
d. 1873-01-18
Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer Lytton, secretary of state for the colonies, was born
in
London on
25 May 1803. He received a BA from Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in
1826 and a MA in
1835. He entered politics in
1831, representing St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, in the House of Commons, but he lost his
seat in
1841. He then left politics for several years, travelling extensively and writing numerous
works of both fiction and nonfiction, including articles, poems, plays, and novels.
He returned to politics in 1852 as representative for Hertfordshire, where Knebworth was located, and served as secretary
of state for the colonies from 1858 to 1859. After being elevated to the peerage in 1866, Lytton reduced his political activity and returned to his writing. He died at Torquay
on 18 January 1873.
Dictionary of National Biography (London and New York: Oxford University Press, 1900-) 12, pp. 380-87.