Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729 July 9, 1797) was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher, who served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. He is chiefly remembered for his support of the American colonies in the struggle against King George III that led to the American Revolution and for his strong opposition to the French Revolution. Paul Langford is Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford, and has been a Professor of Modern History at Oxford since 1996.