Famous People Who Died In 1834

Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat and military officer, who  is remembered for fighting in the American Revolutionary War, as the commander of American troops in several battles. After returning to France, he played key roles in the French Revolution of 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830. Considered a hero in both America and France, he advocated the end of slavery.  

Samuel Coleridge was an English poet, philosopher, theologian, and literary critic. He is credited with co-founding the Romantic Movement in England along with his friend William Wordsworth. Despite struggling from bouts of depression and anxiety throughout his adult life, Samuel Coleridge had a major influence on American transcendentalism and writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Thomas Robert Malthus was an English economist and demographer, who viewed poverty as man’s unavoidable destiny. Author of An Essay on the Principle of Population; he believed that increase in national food production results in feeling of well-being, leading to population growth, which in turn results in poverty. Commonly referred as Malthusianism, it made immediate impact on British social policy.

Renowned British essayist Charles Lamb was a major figure of the Romantic period. He is best remembered for his Essays of Elia and his book of abridged versions of Shakespeare’s plays, Tales from Shakespeare, which he co-wrote with his sister, Mary. He had also once spent time in a mental facility.

Pedro I of Brazil was the founder of the Empire of Brazil and reigned as its emperor from 1822 to 1831. He also ruled over Portugal before abdicating the throne in favor of Dona Maria II. He is credited with spreading the liberal ideals that enabled Portugal and Brazil to move to representative forms of government from absolutist regimes.

Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford had begun his career as a mason at 14, having lost his father in infancy. A self-taught architect, he was responsible for building many structures, including the Caledonian Canal and the Menai Suspension Bridge. Named The Colossus of Roads, he symbolized the Scottish Enlightenment.

Éleuthère Irénée du Pont was the founder of the American gunpowder company E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and the patriarch of the famous du Pont family of businessmen. Born in France, du Pont had escaped to the U.S. with his family during the French Revolution. 

Better known as the pioneer of Protestant missionary work in China, Robert Morrison was the first missionary from the London Missionary Society to visit China. Apart from translating the Bible into Chinese, he also enriched Anglo-Chinese literature with his dictionaries and books on Chinese grammar.

Thomas Pringle was a Scottish poet, writer, and abolitionist. He became the first English language author and poet to describe South Africa's living conditions, native peoples, and scenery for which he is often referred to as the father of South African poetry. Thomas Pringle is also remembered for his association with the Anti-Slavery Society where he served as the secretary.

The son of Cambodian king Ang Eng, Ang Chan II, also known as Udaraja III, was recognized as a king by the Thais. He maintained good relations with both Vietnam and Siam, so that peace could be maintained in Cambodia. Following his death, both Vietnam and Siam took over control of Cambodia.

Karl Ludwig Harding is best remembered for discovering the asteroid or minor planet Juno. The University of Göttingen alumnus later taught at his alma. He catalogued over 120,000 stars in his iconic book Atlas novus coelestis. He was also made a Fellow of The Royal Society.

Gilbert Blane was a Scottish physician best remembered for his association with the Royal Navy. Initially appointed as Lord Rodney's physician aboard HMS Sandwich, Blane worked hard to ameliorate the health of sailors by introducing health reform in the Navy; he revamped the diet and ensured the fleet took proper sanitary precautions.

Hailed as an early leader of liberal Christianity, Lutheran philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher was also an eminent biblical scholar and theologian. Best remembered for his works on hermeneutics and theory of translation, he also had a great impact on the evolution of higher criticism and became known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity.

Edmond-Charles Genêt was a French diplomat sent to the United States of America during the French Revolution. His activities upon his arrival in USA led to the major political incident which came to be known as the Citizen Genêt Affair. He married the daughter of an American politician and became a gentleman farmer. He never returned to France. 

Maurycy Mochnacki was a Polish pianist, publicist, journalist, historian, independence activist, and literary, theatre and music critic. A fierce critic, Mochnacki encouraged writers to develop a Polish version of Romanticism. Maurycy Mochnacki also played a major role in the 1830's November Uprising, participating in many battles at Stoczek, Wawer, Grochów, and Ostrołęka.

William Blackwood was a Scottish publisher and bookseller best remembered for establishing the popular publishing house, William Blackwood and Sons. He is also credited with founding the Edinburgh Monthly Magazine, which was renamed Blackwood’s Magazine in 1905.