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Who was he? John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton (1834-1902) Born in Naples, educated in England, lived throughout Europe making friends with de Tocqueville, and Leopold von Ranke whose rigorous, scientific methods of historical research Acton adopted. While succeeding John Henry Newman as editor of the liberal Catholic journal, The Rambler, Acton publicly resisted the papal move toward infallibility, during which stuggle Acton coined his most famous phrase, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Still, Acton remained Catholic, scientific, and a historian. He was a dedicated Liberal in England and close friend of Gladstone. Acton researched and wrote about the issue and concept of Freedom much of his life. He wrote against racism and nationalism as threats to freedom, as much as he resisted any over-reaching type of state, democratic or socialist. To Acton, the Christian conscience was the source and defender of liberty. Acton served in the House of Commons in the 1860s, representing an Irish district. Gladstone nominated him and Queen Victoria awarded him a peerage in 1869. Afterward he continued to research and teach, which established his reputation as a historian since he did not publish a great deal. He was a fellow of All Souls', Oxford; taught modern history at Cambridge. It was among friends in the give-and-take of discussion, whether in London, Bavaria or Cambridge that Acton was most influential. Acton founded the English Historical Review and the Cambridge Modern History Series. Bartleby Quotation, # 2708
Writings & an Evaluation; Herbert Butterfield's critique; A Defense of Acton as Libertarian Hero
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