1840 he sat for Southwark. The dissenters of Essex were his great supporters, and he was a prominent advocate of their claims. He was long recognised as a leading member of the radical party, and was an eloquent speaker in parliament and in public meetings. His love of company and his extravagance of living involved him in financial difficulties, and in February 1839 he was glad to accept the office of registrar of metropolitan public carriages.
The ‘Sunday Times’ newspaper was started by Harvey in 1822, and having worked it into a good circulation he sold it at a considerable profit. Early in 1833 he purchased the ‘True Sun,’ a daily paper, which had been commenced in the previous year by Patrick Grant; to accompany it he brought out the ‘Weekly True Sun,’ No. 1, 10 Feb. 1833, price 7d. The former came to an end with No. 442, new series, 23 Dec. 1837, and the latter with No. 331, 29 Dec. 1839. He then commenced the ‘Statesman, or the Weekly True Sun,’ No. 1, 5 Jan. 1840, but this, like its predecessors, although ably edited, was not a success, and a so-called No. 381, 27 Dec. 1840, was its last appearance.
By the act, 2 & 3 Vict. c. xciv. 17 Aug. 1839, the new metropolitan police regulations were extended to the city of London. Before the bill finally passed, Harvey was privately designated commissioner of the new force by Lord Melbourne's government, who, it is said, were so anxious to prevent his future presence in the House of Commons that they inserted a special clause in the act making it impossible for a police commissioner to be elected a member of parliament. He commenced his new duties in January 1840, and although often at variance with the corporation respecting his salary and his residence in the city, during the twenty-three years of his rule he never neglected his work, and created a well-disciplined body of men. He died at his official residence, 26 Old Jewry, city of London, 24 Feb. 1863, and was buried in the ground of the unitarian chapel at Hackney. A monument was erected over his grave at the cost of the city police force. He married, 23 May 1809, Mary, only daughter of Ebenezer Johnston of Bishopsgate Street and Stoke Newington, who is said to have brought him 30,000l.; she died 19 March 1864. Harvey was the writer of:
- ‘A Letter to the Burgesses of Colchester containing a statement of Proceedings upon his Application to be called to the Bar,’ 1822.
- ‘Inns of Court. The Speech and Reply of D. W. Harvey on moving for leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the admission of Students and Barristers; with Address to Electors of Colchester touching official appointment of Mr. Harvey under the Charities Commission,’ 1832.
- ‘Proceedings in a cause, Harvey v. Andrew, referred to in a Speech of D. W. Harvey on 14 June 1832 in the House of Commons,’ 1832.
- ‘A Letter from D. W. Harvey to his Constituents, a statement of the treatment he has received from members of His Majesty's Government,’ 1832.
- ‘Speech of D. W. Harvey at a meeting at Colchester in vindication of his conduct regarding the County and Borough of Essex,’ 1832.
- ‘Inns of Court. Case of D. W. Harvey,’ 1833.
- ‘To Sir T. Denman and the rest of the Judges, the Petition of D. W. Harvey,’ 1833.
- ‘Report of Proceedings before the Benchers upon the application of D. W. Harvey to be called to the Bar,’ 1834; 2nd edition, 1834.
- ‘An Address upon the Law of Railway Speculation, with hints for legislative interference,’ 1846.
- ‘Speech on moving for a Committee to inquire into the Crown Lands,’ 1849.
- ‘A Letter to Lord John Russell on the Benchers and the Bar,’ 1852; 2nd edition, 1862.
[Gent. Mag. May 1863, pp. 662–3; Times, 25 Feb. 1863, p. 5; City Press, 28 Feb. 1863, p. 5; Newspaper Press, 1 Sept. 1869, pp. 192–3, by Cyrus Redding; Law Times, 28 Feb. 1863, pp. 241–2; Illustrated London News, 7 March 1863, pp. 253, 254, with portrait; Weekly True Sun, 29 Dec. 1839, p. 4; Ainslie's Discourse on Death of D. W. Harvey, 1863; Grant's Newspaper Press, 1871, p. 342.]
HARVEY, EDMOND (fl. 1661), regicide, a citizen of London, was apparently a mercer in partnership with Alderman Edmund Sleigh. With Sleigh he contributed 300l. towards equipping the sea forces raised to repress the rebellion in Ireland, under an ordinance of the commons dated 14 April 1642 (Prendergast, Cromwellian Settlement of Ireland, ed. 1870, p. 443). During the same year he was appointed a colonel of horse in the army of the parliament under the Earl of Essex (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1641–3, p. 466), and received a vote of thanks for his services (Sprigge, Anglia Rediviva, ed. 1854, p. 6; Commons' Journals, ii. 726). Several charges of plundering and extortion were afterwards brought against him. When in May 1644 the committee of both kingdoms proposed to send him to the Earl of Essex with money and arms (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1644, pp. 172, 175), he refused to march unless the arrears of pay due to himself and his regiment were first discharged (Commons' Journals, iii. 488). The committee were accordingly instructed to secure the horse and arms, discharge his quarters, take his musters, and despatch his pay (ib. iii.
