In 1795, the Society of Friends insisted that a prominent member, Samuel Galton Jr. of Birmingham, cease manufacturing guns or sever ties with their fellowship. Was anti-gun activism simply an outgrowth of Quaker pacifism? This case was more interesting. Samuel Galton Jr. was one of Britain's most prominent entrepreneurs. He was more than just the grandfather of the eugenicist Francis Galton. He was a member of England's great salon, the Lunar Society. He was acquainted with such luminaries of industrialization as James Watt, Joseph Priestley, and Matthew Boulton. In addition, Galton's gunmaking fortune made a large impact: not only were his guns produced and sold by the thousands, the earnings were invested in the Galton Bank, which later became the Midland Bank. Galton moved in the same Quaker banking circle as the Lloyds and the Barclays. Together they financed much of Britain's commerce and manufacturing. Priya Satia's research in Galton's papers reveals that he defended his gun business against his Quaker critics by stating, in the strongest terms, that many co-religionists were involved in the gun trade too, benefiting from it directly or indirectly. Also, Galton claimed that guns had many useful purposes related to personal security and national defense.
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