L. T. Hobhouse

Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse was born in 1864 in St Ive, Cornwall, and educated at Oxford, where he later taught philosophy. He became a prominent figure in early 20th-century British social thought, serving as the first professor of sociology at the University of London. His most influential work, "Liberalism" (1911), argued for a "new liberalism" that moved beyond classical laissez-faire doctrine, advocating for state intervention to ensure social justice and equal opportunity. Hobhouse also wrote extensively on comparative sociology and ethics, including "Morals in Evolution" (1906) and "The Metaphysical Theory of the State" (1918). His ideas shaped the development of the British welfare state and modern liberal political philosophy. Hobhouse died in 1929 in Alençon, France.