Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope

British politician
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Also known as: Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope, Viscount Stanhope of Mahon, Baron Stanhope of Elvaston
Quick Facts
Born:
Jan. 30, 1805, Walmer, Kent, Eng.
Died:
Dec. 24, 1875, Bournemouth, Hampshire (aged 70)

Philip Henry Stanhope, 5th Earl Stanhope (born Jan. 30, 1805, Walmer, Kent, Eng.—died Dec. 24, 1875, Bournemouth, Hampshire) was an English politician and historian who was chiefly responsible for the founding of Britain’s National Portrait Gallery. Stanhope studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and entered Parliament in 1830. Although he made no special mark in politics, he was chiefly responsible for passage of the Literary Copyright Act of 1842, which, in part, provided that books be protected by copyright for the life of the author plus seven years. He was a trustee of the British Museum and in 1856 proposed the ...(100 of 163 words)