Charles Pearson

Charles Pearson
Pearson, c. 1855
Solicitor to the City of London
In office 1839–1862
Member of Parliament for Lambeth
In office 31 July 1847 – July 1850
Preceded by	Benjamin Hawes
Succeeded by	William Williams
Councilman of the Corporation of London
In office 1817–1820
Constituency	Bishopsgate
In office 1830–1836
Constituency	Bishopsgate
Personal details
Born	(1793-10-04)4 October 1793 City of London, England
Died	14 September 1862(1862-09-14) (aged 68) Wandsworth, England
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Radicals
Spouse	Mary Martha Dutton ​ (m. 1817)​
Children	1
Occupation	Lawyer
Known for	Transport campaigner
London transport portal

Charles Pearson (4 October 1793 – 14 September 1862) was a British lawyer and politician. He was solicitor to the City of London, a reforming campaigner, and – briefly – Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Lambeth. He campaigned against corruption in jury selection, for penal reform, for the abolition of capital punishment, and for universal suffrage.

Pearson used his influence as City Solicitor to promote improvements to transport communications. Initially, he proposed a central railway station for the City, accessed by tunnel, that would be used by multiple railway companies enabling workers to commute to the City from further away. When this plan was rejected, Pearson promoted an underground railway connecting the capital's northern termini. The resulting Metropolitan Railway was the first underground railway in the world and led to the development of the extensive London Underground network and the rapid expansion of the capital.