Richard Whately was born the youngest of nine children in London, England, to the Reverend and Mrs. Joseph Whately on February 1, 1787. As a child he spent most of his days in his grandfather's garden, daydreaming and studying insects. At the age of nine, his parents sent him to a private school outside Bristol. In April 1805, Whately was accepted into Oxford under the tutelage of Edward Copleston. Whately was diligent in his studies which resulted in what he viewed as his highest personal achievement-being elected a fellow of Oriel College. He would, however, have to vacate this position upon his marriage in July 1821. In 1826, Whately authored a book, Logic, which came to dominate the field for nearly two decades. Two years later, he published Rhetoric, which to this day exercises influence on university speech departments throughout North America and Europe. During this time, Whately became widely recognized as the most able of Whig ecclesiastics. This recognition lead to his appointment as Anglican Archbishop of Dublin in 1831. Being Archbishop, he also held a seat in the House of Commons. Among the issues he had great interest in were: revision of criminal law, emancipation for the Jewish population, and education. In 1837, Whately wrote a textbook for children concerning economics entitled Easy Lessons on Money Matters for the Use of Young People. Throughout his career, he was a champion of the free market system, insisting it was the best economic philosophy.

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