Edwin
Arnold was born in Gravesend on 10th June, 1832. He went to Oxford
University where he won the Newdigate prize for poetry. After
university he taught at King Edward's School, Birmingham
and Bombay University in India.
Arnold returned to England in 1861 and joined the staff of the Daily
Telegraph. On the death of Thornton
Leigh Hunt in 1873, Arnold was appointed editor of the newspaper.
His views were less liberal than those of Hunt and the paper began
to question the policies of the government led by William
Gladstone. Arnold was particularly upset by attempts to cut defence
expenditure and claimed that Gladstone would "fling half our
Empire overboard and jettison India herself in order to teach Britain
modesty." Whereas Hunt used to describe Gladstone in the Daily
Telegraph as the "People's William", Arnold favoured
the more imperialistic policies of his Conservative
opponent, Benjamin Disraeli.
Arnold recruited staff that shared his political opinions and worked
closely with Ellis Ashmead Bartlett,
a strong advocate of British Imperialism in the House
of Commons. Under the editorship of Arnold circulation of the
newspaper continued to grow. In 1870 the daily average circulation
was 196,855 and by 1877 it had risen to 242,215.
Arnold had a deep love of exploration and persuaded the proprietor,
Edward Levy-Lawson, to spend large sums
of money to obtain dramatic stories. This included joining with Bennett
of the New York Herald to finance
Stanley's search for David Livingstone
in Africa. The Daily Telegraph
also largely financed Sir Harry Johnson's exploration of Kilimanjaro
in 1884.
A loyal supporter of the Conservative
Party, Arnold was granted a knighthood by the Marquess
of Salisbury in 1888. Later that year he resigned as editor of
the Daily Telegraph and became
the paper's travelling commissioner.
Arnold wrote the highly acclaimed, The Great
Renunciation (1879). Other titles written by Arnold include
India Revisted (1886), Seas
and Lands (1891), Wandering Worlds
(1894) and East and West (1896).
Edwin Arnold, who suffered from failing eyesight in his later years,
died on 24th March, 1904.
(1)
Harry Levy-Lawson,
The Story of the Daily Telegraph
(1955)
All the traditions of the Daily Telegraph were Liberal. From the beginning
it supported Palmerston. For Gladstone it coined the title of "the
People's William" and for many years Edward Levy-Lawson saw Gladstone
or Montagu Corry, his confidential secretary, almost daily.
Edward Arnold who in Eastern policy was continually and vehemently
against Gladstone. The break was gradual. During Disraeli's second
administration the Daily Telegraph "crossed the floor"
and became a Conservative newspaper.
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