A list of influential and famous people of the Nineteenth Century, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria.
The early Nineteenth Century saw the rise and fall of Napoleon’s France. It was a century which saw the emergence of the United States as a global power and the dominance of the British Empire which spread across the globe. The Nineteenth Century saw rapid industrialisation and globalisation, which saw rising living standards but also increased awareness of economic and social division. The later half of the Nineteenth Century saw a rise in new political ideologies, such as Marxism and the growing importance of national identity, especially in Europe.
Politicians / Heads of State
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821) – French military and political leader. Napoleon revolutionised Europe. He cemented the ideas of the French revolution (in his own autocratic style) and enabled these ideas and his Napoleonic code to be spread across Europe.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826) Principal author of The Declaration of Independence (1776). Jefferson was the US’s third President of the US (1801 to 1809) Jefferson helped to expand the territory of the US through the Louisiana Declaration (1803) and bring a period of peace and stability to US foreign affairs.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Lincoln was US president 1861-1865. He led the United States during the Civil War to prevent the secession of the south. During the war, Lincoln also issued the Emancipation Proclamation and promoted a bill to end slavery in the United States.
Queen Victoria (1819-1901) – Queen of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. Victoria oversaw the extension of the British Empire and the rapid social and economic change of the Industrial Revolution.
Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872) Italian political activist. Campaigned for a United Republic of Italy. Mazzini supported insurrections against foreign rule and played a key role in cementing support for a united Italy. Also spoke about the ideals of a ‘United Europe.’
Simon Bolivar (1783 – 1830) known as ‘El Libertador’ – the Liberator. Bolivar led several Latin American countries (Peru, Bolivar, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela) to independence from the Spanish monarchy. After successfully leading the liberation struggle, he served as President for a federation of Latin American countries until his death in 1830.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804 – 1881) – British Prime Minister and close friend of Queen Victoria. Associated with ‘One Nation’ Conservatism and the expansion of the British Empire.
William Gladstone (1809 – 1898) Gladstone served as Liberal Prime Minister on four different occasions, and also as Chancellor of Exchequer. Considered to have the epitome of Victorian moral values.
Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) The last German Emperor, the Kaiser led Germany on a more bellicose, self-assertive foreign policy, where he wished to see Germany become a major European power. He formed a key alliance with Austria-Hungary, which later played a role in starting the First World War.
Writers
Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) – German philosopher, founder of Marxism. Karl Marx wrote Das Capital and The Communist Manifesto. Marx argued that Capitalism was inherently unequal and unjust. Marx argued that there was a historical inevitability that a Communist revolution would occur in industrial societies.
Victor Hugo (1802 – 1885) French author and poet. Hugo’s novels include Les Misérables, (1862) and Notre-Dame de Paris (1831).
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) Emerson was a leading poet, Transcendentalist and influential philosopher. He espoused no fixed doctrine but expanded on ideas of freedom, nature and the possibilities of man.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811 – 1896) – Stowe was a writer who helped popularise the anti-slavery movement. Her book ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ depicted life under slavery and helped to mobilise public opinion in the north against slavery.
Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886). One of America’s greatest female poets, Emily Dickinson’s themes of death and immortality became very popular and influenced the development of modern poetry.
John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873) Utilitarian philosopher and supporter of radical/liberal politics. John Stuart Mill wrote an influential tract “On Liberty” – a classic account of individual liberty.
Cultural figures
David Livingstone (1813-1873) Explorer. Famously trekked through Africa and became the first European to discover the source of the Nile. A popular Victorian hero, who epitomised the age of ‘enlightened Empire’ and the quest for discovery.
Social activists / Religious figures
William Wilberforce (1759 – 1833) – Campaigner to end slavery. He was an MP for Yorkshire and a strong advocate of religious morality. He successfully led the campaign to abolish the slave trade, playing a key role.
Margaret Fuller (1810 – 1850) was a leading proponent of women’s rights. She was the first woman to be editor of New York Tribune and wrote influential articles on books on women’s rights and progressive social policies.
Susan B Anthony (1820 – 1906) was a campaigner for civil rights and women’s suffrage. One of most influential women who helped secure women the right to vote.
Emily Pankhurst (1858-1928) – British Suffragette who was willing to take direct action in protesting for women to gain the right to vote.
Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902 ) – Indian monk. Vivekananda travelled to the United States and spoke on the ideal of religious tolerance at the World Parliament of Religions 1893. He taught a spiritual path which combined Eastern mysticism and Western dynamism and is a key figure in the Indian Renaissance.
Scientists / Innovators / businessmen
John D. Rockefeller (1839 – 1937) Rockefeller was a successful businessman who controlled much of the US oil and railroad industries. His name became synonymous with wealth and economic power.
Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919) Carnegie became very rich, through his control of the US steel industry and other investments. With his wealth, he became a philanthropist. Many public libraries are named after him.
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Famous People of the Nineteenth Century”, Oxford, www.biographyonline.net, 23rd February 2017. Last updated 5 March 2018.
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Related Eras
Industrial Revolution (1750s to 1900) The great inventors, entrepreneurs and businessmen of the industrial revolution. Also includes the social activists of the era, such as Charles Dickens.
The Gilded Age (1870 to 1900) A period of rapid expansion in the economy, with growing inequality. Includes the great industrialists, such as J.D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie.
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