William Edward Hartpole Lecky

William Edward Hartpole Lecky (1838–1903) was an Irish historian and essayist noted for wide-ranging studies of politics, religion, and moral ideas. Born in Dublin, he was educated at Trinity College Dublin and later lived for many years in London. Lecky gained prominence with *History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne* (1869), followed by *A History of England in the Eighteenth Century* (1878–1890), a major multi-volume narrative of British and Irish affairs. He also wrote *Democracy and Liberty* (1896). In later life he served as a Member of Parliament for Dublin University (1895–1903). He died in London in 1903.