BIOGRAPHY : Thomas Curson Hansard

THOMAS CURSON HANSARD

Thomas Curson Hansard (1776-1833) was an English printer and publisher who is widely regarded as the father of parliamentary reporting. He was born in London and became a printer and publisher in the early 19th century. Hansard saw an opportunity to produce verbatim reports of parliamentary debates and began publishing them in 1812.

At the time, the reporting of parliamentary proceedings was limited and often partisan, and Hansard saw an opportunity to provide a more accurate and impartial record of the debates. He quickly established a reputation for accuracy and impartiality, and his reports became popular with the public and widely regarded as the authoritative source of information on parliamentary proceedings.

Hansard’s reports were a major innovation in parliamentary reporting, and he is credited with creating the modern Hansard. He was awarded a contract to supply reports of parliamentary debates to the government in 1829, and his reports became an important source of information and accountability in the UK.

After his death in 1833, his business was continued by his family, and the Hansard became an official government publication in 1909. Today, the Hansard remains an important historical document and a source of information on the debates and decisions of the UK Parliament.

Hansard’s legacy has had a lasting impact on parliamentary reporting and democracy in the UK. His commitment to accuracy and impartiality has set the standard for parliamentary reporting, and his name has become synonymous with the official record of parliamentary proceedings. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of parliamentary reporting and a key figure in the history of parliamentary democracy.