Editing Thomas Babington Macaulay (section)

===Return to British public life (1838–1857)===
[[File:Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay by Sir Francis Grant.jpg|thumb|right|Macaulay by Sir Francis Grant]]
Returning to Britain in 1838, he became MP again in [[Edinburgh (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh]] in the following year. He was made [[Secretary at War]] in 1839 by [[Lord Melbourne]] and was sworn of the [[Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council|Privy Council]] the same year.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=19774 |date=1 October 1839 |page=1841 }}</ref> In 1841 Macaulay addressed the issue of [[copyright]] law. Macaulay's position, slightly modified, became the basis of [[copyright law]] in the English-speaking world for many decades.<ref name=asu>{{Cite web |url=http://homepages.law.asu.edu/~dkarjala/OpposingCopyrightExtension/commentary/MacaulaySpeeches.html |title=Macaulay's speeches on copyright law |access-date=8 December 2015 |archive-date=24 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224192038/http://homepages.law.asu.edu/~dkarjala/OpposingCopyrightExtension/commentary/MacaulaySpeeches.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Macaulay argued that copyright is a monopoly and as such has generally negative effects on society.<ref name=asu/> After the fall of Melbourne's government in 1841 Macaulay devoted more time to literary work, and returned to office as [[Paymaster General]] in 1846 in [[Lord John Russell]]'s administration.

In the election of 1847 he lost his seat in Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/344/266.html|title=Lord Macaulay|access-date=1 November 2013|publisher=Bartleby}}</ref> He attributed the loss to the anger of religious zealots over his speech in favour of expanding the annual government grant to [[Maynooth College]] in Ireland, which trained young men for the Catholic priesthood; some observers also attributed his loss to his neglect of local issues. In 1849 he was elected [[Rector of the University of Glasgow]], a position with no administrative duties, often awarded by the students to men of political or literary fame.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Rector|url=http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/officer/?id=6|publisher=Glasgow university|access-date=1 November 2013|archive-date=16 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216071209/http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/officer/?id=6|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also received the [[freedom of the city]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography of Lord Macaulay|url=http://www.sacklunch.net/biography/M/LordMacaulay.html|publisher=Sacklunch|access-date=1 November 2013}}</ref>

In 1852, the voters of Edinburgh offered to re-elect him to Parliament. He accepted on the express condition that he need not campaign and would not pledge himself to a position on any political issue. Remarkably, he was elected on those terms.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} He seldom attended the House due to ill health. His weakness after suffering a heart attack caused him to postpone for several months making his speech of thanks to the Edinburgh voters. He resigned his seat in January 1856.<ref name="Lord Macaulay">{{cite news|title=Lord Macaulay|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=18600315&id=WFUVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6336,5147988|access-date=1 November 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=15 March 1860}}</ref> In 1857 he was raised to the [[peerage]] as '''Baron Macaulay''', of [[Rothley]] in the [[County of Leicester]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22039 |date=11 September 1857 |page=3075 }}</ref> but seldom attended the [[House of Lords]].<ref name="Lord Macaulay"/>