Name

Robert Fargher

Biography

Launched the Mona's Herald in 1833 and began a thirty-year campaign for a democratically elected House of Keys. His method was straightforward: he published what the Keys did, and the publication itself was the argument. A self-elected body operating in secrecy could maintain its authority only as long as nobody outside the chamber knew what happened inside it. Fargher opened the doors with newsprint. The Keys responded by prosecuting him for libel. He was imprisoned. The imprisonment produced public petitions for reform. He had argued in 1844 that the Keys should not be given financial authority because they were unelected. Twenty-two years later, Governor Loch used precisely the same argument to force the Keys to accept popular election.

Active Period

fl. 1833–1860s

Place

Douglas

Isle of Man

Period

Crown Administration

Role / Office

Journalist

Reformer

Editor

Book Chapter

Chapter 18