Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury
Person
As Lord Ashley, a Tory backbencher, the future Earl of Shaftesbury led the parliamentary campaign for factory reform after Michael Sadler lost his seat. His pressure produced the Mines Act of 1842, which banned women and children under ten from working underground, after a commission whose illustrated report shocked the public. He also pushed the Ten Hours Act of 1847, though it was finally carried by another MP while he was out of the Commons. His method was commissions of inquiry, evidence and sheer persistence.
More about Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury