Jurist, literary figure linked with author Jane Austen and alleged model for the character 'Mr. Darcy' in her literary classic "Pride and Prejudice." Lefroy served as Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench in Ireland from 1852 to 1866, and a member of the Irish House of Commons for eleven years. Born into a prominent Anglo-Irish family of Huguenot origin in County Limerick, Ireland, his education was subsidized by a wealthy but childless great uncle in London, England, who recognized the boy's potential as the family standard-bearer. He did not disappoint his benefactor, and proved to be a hard-working student. He took up debating to overcome his innate shyness, and by the time of his graduation from Trinity College, Dublin, had won a trio of gold medals, among other forensic honors. He traveled to London to study law at Lincoln's Inn, and in the mid-1790s visited relatives in Hampshire, who introduced him to their neighbor Jane Austen, then a girl of twenty. By most accounts she initiated a flirtation, her nature being the more extroverted of the two. He soon responded to her wit and charm, however, and in later life confirmed his youthful attraction to her. Although the pair were well-matched intellectually and staunchly Tory in their political sympathies, Lefroy declined to pursue a more serious relationship with Austen, possibly for economic reasons, and in 1797, the year of his admission to the bar, he became engaged to Mary Paul, the daughter of baronet Sir Jeffry Paul. The couple wed two years later, and their happy marriage produced seven children. In addition to his legal and political contributions, Lefroy was an amateur astronomer of note. In 1837 he also renovated a magnificent manor house for his family in County Longford, Ireland, working with noted British architect Daniel Robertson; called "Carrigglas", it remains a tourist attraction today. Lefroy's brilliance as a jurist was widely recognized during his lifetime, but his unwavering arch conservatism and anti-Catholic stance grew increasingly out of step with the times. Advanced age had no effect on his mind otherwise, and he did not resign his position as Chief Justice until late in 1866. He subsequently retired to Newcourt, near Bray in County Wicklow, where he died three years later at the age of 93.