Henry Fawcett 1881 Cartoon from Punch : `` PROFESSOR FAWCETT , M.P and P.M.G. , A Politician of a certain stamp , and President of the Republic of Letters at St . Martin-le-Grand's `` Henry Fawcett ( 1833 – 1884 ) was a blind English statesman and economist . He was born in Salisbury , and educated at the University of Cambridge , where he became Fellow of Trinity Hall . A statue of him stands in Salisbury Market Square . In 1858 , when he was 25 , he was blinded by a shooting accident , in spite of which he continued with his studies , especially in economics , and in 1863 published his Manual of Political Economy , becoming in the same year Professor of Political Economy in Cambridge . After repeated defeats he was elected member of Parliament ( MP for Brighton in 1865 . He campaigned for women 's suffrage , and through this met his wife Millicent Garrett whom he married in 1867 . In 1880 he was appointed Postmaster-General . He introduced many innovations , including parcel post , postal orders , and licensing changes to permit payphones and trunk lines . His career was , however , cut short by his premature death from pleurisy , but not before he had made himself a recognised authority on economics , his works on which include The Economic Position of the British Labourer ( 1871 ) , Labour and Wages , etc . He was elected Rector of Glasgow University , 1883 Sir Leslie Stephen wrote a biography of him , Life of Henry Fawcett , in 1885 . External links Works by Henry Fawcett at Project Gutenberg Preceded by : The Lord John Manners Postmaster General 1880–1884 Succeeded by : George John Shaw-Lefevre This article incorporates public domain text from : Cousin , John William ( 1910 ) . A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature . London , J.M. Dent & sons ; New York , E.P. Dutton . Categories : A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature | 1833 births | 1884 deaths | English economists | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament from English constituencies | United Kingdom Postmasters General | People from Salisbury In other languages : Deutsch | Русский Henry+Fawcett Henry Fawcett Postmaster General The Lord John Manners George John Shaw-Lefevre 1880–1884 