author
Henry Hunt
1773–1835
A fiery speaker and campaigner for parliamentary reform, he became one of the best-known radical voices of early 19th-century Britain. Remembered as “Orator” Hunt, he helped shape the politics that would later feed into Chartism.
3 Audiobooks
Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq. — Volume 3
by Henry Hunt
Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq. — Volume 1
by Henry Hunt
Memoirs of Henry Hunt, Esq. — Volume 2
by Henry Hunt
About the author
Born in Upavon, Wiltshire, in 1773, Henry “Orator” Hunt began life as a prosperous farmer before turning to radical politics. He became famous for his public speaking, using large open-air meetings to push for parliamentary reform, wider political representation, and the repeal of the Corn Laws.
Hunt is closely linked with the reform movement around the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, where he had been invited to speak at the Manchester meeting that ended in deadly violence. His prominence only grew afterward, and he later served as a Member of Parliament, where he continued pressing for broader democratic rights.
Though controversial in his own time, Hunt is widely remembered as an early champion of working-class radicalism and as an important influence on the later Chartist movement. For readers interested in the long struggle for political reform in Britain, his life opens a vivid window onto an age of protest, persuasion, and public debate.