Robert Ross Rowan Moore (23 December 1811 – 6 August 1864) was an Irish political economist.

Life

Born in Dublin on 23 December 1811, he was the eldest son of William Moore, and Anne Rowan, his first cousin, daughter of Robert Ross Rowan of Mullaghmore, County Down, a lieutenant in the

104th Foot The 104th Regiment of Foot (Bengal Fusiliers) was a regiment of the British Army, raised by the Honourable East India Company in 1765. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 101st Regiment of Foot (Royal Bengal Fusiliers) to form t ...

. Moore was sent in 1828 to the Luxemburg School, near Dublin, one of those established by Gregor von Feinaigle. In 1831 he entered

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1835. He spoke regularly at the Dublin University Debating Society, often against his friend Thomas Osborne Davis, maintaining that Ireland's prosperity would be better secured by closer relations with Great Britain than by political independence. After taking pupils at Carlow, Moore read law, and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

as a member of

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

28 April 1837; but took up

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

. On 15 August 1839 he gave a lecture in Dublin ''On the Advantages of Mechanics' Institutions'', which was published. He became a member of an Irish anti-slavery society, and in 1841 visited

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

to oppose a scheme for exporting apprentices to the West Indies, as

indentured labour Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an "indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or serv ...

. George Thompson introduced Moore to

John Bright John Bright (16 November 1811 – 27 March 1889) was a British Radical and Liberal statesman, one of the greatest orators of his generation and a promoter of free trade policies. A Quaker, Bright is most famous for battling the Corn La ...

, he got to know

Richard Cobden Richard Cobden (3 June 1804 – 2 April 1865) was an English Radicals (UK), Radical and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician, manufacturing, manufacturer, and a campaigner for free trade and peace. He was associated with the Anti–Corn Law L ...

, and he joined the Anti-Cornlaw League. Bright and Thompson visited Ireland in December 1841, and Moore's first major public speech on

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold Economic liberalism, economically liberal positions, while economic nationalist politica ...

was at a meeting held at the Mansion House, Dublin, on 23 December, when he moved a resolution in favour of the total and immediate repeal of the

Corn Laws The Corn Laws were tariffs and other trade restrictions on imported food and corn enforced in the United Kingdom between 1815 and 1846. The word ''corn'' in British English denotes all cereal grains, including wheat, oats and barley. The la ...

. For the next five years he spoke for the League at meetings in England and Scotland. In February 1844 he addressed the series of meetings in

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

, and was invited to be a parliamentary candidate for

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

. In March 1844 he contested the borough at a by-election, but was defeated. When the Corn Laws were repealed, in 1846, Moore remained in England, visiting Ireland occasionally, and withdrew from public life, in broken health. He helped

John Lewis Ricardo John Lewis Ricardo (1812 – 2 August 1862) was a British businessman and politician. Early life Ricardo was born in London in 1812. He was the eldest son of financier Jacob Ricardo and nephew of the economist David Ricardo. Career Following th ...

on his book ''The Anatomy of the Navigation Laws'' (1847). Moore died in

Bath, Somerset Bath (Received Pronunciation, RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman Baths (Bath), Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, Bristol, River A ...

on 6 August 1864. He was buried with his father in

Mount Jerome Cemetery Mount Jerome Cemetery & Crematorium () is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials. Originally an exclusively Protestant cemetery, Roman Catholics have a ...

Family

On 1 January 1845 Moore married Rebecca, daughter of Benjamin C. Fisher. They had met when he visited Limerick, and eventually eloped. They then took a house near Manchester, as the centre for his work in relation to the League. They had an only son, Norman Moore. Moore left Rebecca before his birth, for another woman.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Robert Ross Rowan 1811 births 1864 deaths 19th-century Irish economists Irish barristers People from Dublin (city)