Daniel Coke
Daniel Coke | |
|---|---|
 Daniel Coke, with his very distant cousin the Rev. D'Ewes Coke (standing) and his cousin's wife, by Joseph Wright, 1782 | |
| Born | 17 July 1745 |
| Died | 6 December 1825 |
| Education | Derby School, Queen's College, Oxford, and All Souls College, Oxford |
| Occupation | barrister and Member of Parliament |
| Parent(s) | Thomas and Matilda Coke |
Daniel Parker Coke (17 July 1745 – 6 December 1825), was an English barrister and Member of Parliament.
Early life[]
Coke was the only son of Thomas Coke (1700–1776), a barrister, and his wife, Matilda Goodwin (1706–1777). He belonged to an old Derbyshire family, the Cokes of Trusley. He was educated at Derby School, Queen's College, Oxford, and All Souls College, Oxford, graduating BA in 1769 and MA in 1772. He then studied law at Lincoln's Inn, London, where he was called to the bar in 1768.[1]
Career[]
Coke practised as a barrister on the Midland circuit. In 1773 and 1774 he was in Italy where he met Joseph Wright of Derby. Wright was not the first to note on what an attractive man Coke was, and Coke visited Wright at his abode in Italy. Coke is thought to be the only person who appears in a Wright painting and who also bought one of Wright's industrial landscapes.[2]
From 1776 to 1780 he was a Member of Parliament for Derby, then from 1780 to 1812 for Nottingham.[1]
From 1793, Coke supported the British government's policy on war with France. By the 1802 general election Coke was unpopular in Nottingham because of his support for the war, blamed for high food prices, and lost to Dr Joseph Birch of Preston. Coke petitioned against the result and in May 1803 won the new election. He fought Birch successfully again in 1806.[1] After retiring from parliament, Coke continued as chairman of the Derbyshire quarter sessions until 1818.
Legacy[]
Coke never married. He died in Derby in 1825 and he has a substantial monument in Derby Cathedral.[1] Joseph Wright painted a portrait of D'Ewes Coke and his wife and his very distant cousin Daniel. This painting is now in Derby Museum and Art Gallery.[3]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Coke, Daniel Parker (1745–1825), barrister and politician by Mark Pottle in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ Nicolson, Benedict (1968). Joseph Wright of Derby: painter of light, Volume 1. Paul Mellon Foundation. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-7100-6284-0.
- ^ Rev Dewes Coke, his wife and a relative Archived 22 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Derby Museum
External links[]
 |
Wikisource has the text of the 1885–1900 Dictionary of National Biography's article about Coke, Daniel Parker. |
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Daniel Coke
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- 1745 births
- 1825 deaths
- People educated at Derby School
- Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
- Alumni of All Souls College, Oxford
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- British MPs 1774–1780
- British MPs 1780–1784
- British MPs 1784–1790
- British MPs 1790–1796
- British MPs 1796–1800
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1801–1802
- UK MPs 1802–1806
- UK MPs 1806–1807
- UK MPs 1807–1812
- People associated with Derby Museum and Art Gallery
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Derbyshire