John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical, journalist and politician. Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1725 ( MDCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Year 1797 ( MDCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland For opposition to all forms of government social hierarchy or authority see Anarchism.
In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives. Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords In 1771 he was instrumental in obliging the government to concede the right of printers to publish verbatim accounts of parliamentary debates. In 1776 he introduced the first Bill for parliamentary reform in the British Parliament. The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland Wilkes' increasing conservatism as he grew older caused dissatisfaction among radicals and was instrumental in the loss of his Middlesex seat at the 1790 general election. Political Situation The Prime Minister since 1783 William Pitt the Younger, led a coalition of Whig and Tory politicians Wilkes then retired from politics and took no part in the growth of radicalism in the 1790s.
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Early life and character
Born in Clerkenwell in London, Wilkes was the second son of the distiller Israel Wilkes, who had six children. Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. John Wilkes was educated initially at an academy in Hertford; this was followed by private tutoring and finally a stint at Leiden, The Netherlands. Hertford (standard pronunciations /'hɑːtֽfəd/ and /'hɑːֽfəd/ local pronunciation /'ɑːʔֽfəd/ is the affluent County town of Hertfordshire, Leiden University (Universiteit Leiden located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest University in The Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands In 1747 he married Mary Meade and so came into possession of an estate and income in Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. They had one child, Polly, to whom John was utterly devoted for the rest of his life. Wilkes and Mary, however, separated in 1756, a separation that became permanent. Wilkes never married again, but gained a reputation as a rake and fathered at least five other children. He was a member of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club or the Medmenham Monks, and was the instigator of a prank that may have hastened its dissolution. The Hellfire Club was the popular name for a number of supposed exclusive Clubs for high society rakes established all over Britain in the 18th century The Club had many distinguished members including John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich and Sir Francis Dashwood. John Montagu 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS ( 3 November 1718 &ndash 30 April 1792) succeeded his grandfather Francis Dashwood 15th Baron le Despencer (December 1708 &ndash 11 December 1781) was an English rake and Politician, Chancellor The allegation was that Wilkes brought a baboon dressed in a cape and horns into the rituals performed at the club causing considerable mayhem in the inebriated initiates. The baboons are African Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae.
Wilkes was notoriously ugly, being called the ugliest man in England at the time. He possessed an unsightly squint and protruding jaw, but had a charm that carried all before it. He boasted that it "took him only half an hour to talk away his face", though the duration required changed on the several occasions Wilkes repeated the claim. He also declared that "a month's start of his rival on account of his face" would secure him the conquest in any love affair.
He was well known for his verbal wit and his snappy responses to insults. For instance, when told by a constituent that he would rather vote for the devil, Wilkes responded: "Naturally". He then added: "And if your friend decides against standing, can I count on your vote?" On another occasion, in an exchange with John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich, who declared "Sir, I do not know whether you will die on the gallows or of the pox. " Wilkes replied "That, sir, depends on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress. "
Radical journalism
Wilkes was initially a supporter of William Pitt the Elder. William Pitt 1st Earl of Chatham PC (15 November 1708 &ndash 11 May 1778 was a British Whig Statesman who achieved his greatest fame as When the Scottish John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, came to head the government in 1762, Wilkes started a radical weekly publication, The North Briton, to attack him, using an anti-Scots tone. John Stuart 3rd Earl of Bute, KG, PC (25 May 1713 &ndash 10 March 1792 styled Lord Mount Stuart before 1723 was a Scottish nobleman For opposition to all forms of government social hierarchy or authority see Anarchism. The North Briton was a radical Newspaper published in Eighteenth century London. Typical of Wilkes, the title was a satirical take on the Earl's newspaper, The Briton, "North Briton" referring to Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
Bute resigned in 1763 after a very short tenure, but Wilkes was equally opposed to his successor, George Grenville. George Grenville (14 October 1712 &ndash 13 November 1770 was a British Whig statesman who served in government Wilkes was charged with seditious libel over attacks on George III's endorsement of the Paris Peace Treaty of 1763 in his speech at the opening of Parliament on 23 April 1763. This is about the law term For other uses see Sedition (disambiguation Sedition is a term of Law which refers to covert conduct George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on February 10, 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at Wilkes was highly critical of the speech using issue 45 of The North Briton to attack it. The issue number in which Wilkes made his critical editorial was well chosen. Number 45 referred to the Jacobite uprising of 1745, commonly known as "The '45". Jacobitism was (and to a limited extent remains the political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland Bute, being Scottish and highly controversial as an advisor to the King was associated in the popular eye with Jacobitism, and it was this that Wilkes played on.
The King felt personally insulted and general warrants were issued for the arrest of Wilkes and the publishers on 30 April 1763. The Writs of Assistance is a legal document that serves as a general Search warrant. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Forty-nine people, including Wilkes himself, were arrested under the warrants. Wilkes, however, gained considerable popular support as he asserted the unconstitutionality of general warrants and was soon restored to his seat, citing parliamentary privilege. Parliamentary privilege, also known as absolute privilege, is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose Constitutions are based on Wilkes began a case against his arresters for trespass. People were chanting "Wilkes, Liberty and Number 45", referring to the newspaper, as a result of this episode.
Outlaw
Wilkes and Thomas Potter wrote a pornographic poem entitled An Essay on Woman. This parody of An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope was obtained and produced in the House of Lords by Wilkes' political enemies, including the Earl of Sandwich, who was also a member of the Hellfire Club. An Essay on Man is a poem published by Alexander Pope in 1734. Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744 is generally regarded as the greatest English Poet of the eighteenth century best known for his Satirical Earl of Sandwich is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1660 for the prominent naval commander Admiral Sir Edward Montagu. The Hellfire Club was the popular name for a number of supposed exclusive Clubs for high society rakes established all over Britain in the 18th century Sandwich had a personal vendetta with Wilkes stemming in large part from personal embarrassment caused by Wilkes' prank involving the Earl at one of the Hellfire Club's meetings, and was delighted at the opportunity for revenge. A feud (ˈfjuːd (referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud or vendetta) is a long-running argument or fight between parties&mdashoften through Guilt Sandwich read the poem to the House of Lords in an effort to denounce Wilkes' moral behavior, despite the blatant hypocrisy inherent in his action. The poem was, however declared obscene and blasphemous, and it caused a great scandal. Moves were soon underway to expel Wilkes again and this time he fled to Paris before his expulsion or trial. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city He was tried and found guilty, in absentia, of obscene libel, of seditious libel and was declared an outlaw on 19 January 1764. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1764 ( MDCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a
Wilkes hoped for a change in power to remove the charges, but this did not come to fruition. As his French creditors began to put more pressure on him he had little choice but to return to England in 1768. He returned intending to stand as a Member of Parliament on an anti-government ticket; warrants were not issued for his immediate arrest as the government did not wish to inflame popular support for him. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. He stood in London and came bottom of the poll of seven candidates, possibly due to his late entry into the race for the position, but was quickly elected MP for Middlesex where most of his support was located. Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. He then handed himself in to the authorities, surrendering to the King's Bench in April and on waiving his parliamentary privilege to immunity he was sentenced to two years and fined £1,000. Parliamentary privilege, also known as absolute privilege, is a legal mechanism employed within the legislative bodies of countries whose Constitutions are based on The charge of outlawry was overturned.
When Wilkes was imprisoned in the King's Bench Prison on 10 May 1768, his supporters appeared before King's Bench, London, chanting "No justice, no peace. The King's Bench Prison was a prison in Southwark, south London from medieval times until it closed in 1880 Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. The Queen's Bench (or during the reign of a male monarch the King's Bench) is the superior court in a number of jurisdictions within some of the Commonwealth realms London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. " Troops opened fire on the unarmed men, killing 7 and wounding 15.
Middlesex election dispute
Wilkes was expelled from Parliament in February 1769, on the grounds that he was an outlaw at the time when he was returned. He was re-elected by Middlesex in the same month only to be expelled and re-elected in March. In April, having been expelled and winning the election again, Parliament declared his opponent, Henry Luttrell, the winner. Henry Lawes Luttrell 2nd Earl of Carhampton PC ( 7 August 1743 &ndash 25 April 1821) succeeded to the Earldom and other titles In defiance Wilkes had himself elected an alderman of London in 1769, using his supporters' group, the Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights, to campaign for him. An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions Wilkes eventually succeeded in convincing Parliament into expunging the resolution barring him from sitting.
While in parliament he condemned the government's policy towards America during the American Revolution and introduced one of the earliest radical Bills to parliament, albeit unsuccessfully. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots"
Later life
On his release in March 1770 he was made a sheriff in London and in 1774 he became Lord Mayor; he was simultaneously Master of the Joiners' Company, changing its motto to Join Loyalty and Liberty. There are two Sheriffs of the City of London. The sheriffs are elected annually by the Liverymen of the Livery Companies, and it is a requirement for a The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of (and head of the City of London Corporation. The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers is one of the Livery Companies in the City of London. [1] That year he was also re-elected to Parliament, representing Middlesex. He was one of those opposed to war with the American colonies and he was also a supporter of the Association Movement and of religious tolerance. Religious toleration is the condition of accepting or permitting others' religious beliefs and practices which disagree with one's own His key success was to protect the freedom of the press, removing the power of general warrants and also the ability of Parliament to punish political reports of debates. Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press The Writs of Assistance is a legal document that serves as a general Search warrant.
His popularity fell after 1780 as he became popularly perceived as less radical. During the popular uprising known as the Gordon Riots, Wilkes was in charge of the soldiers defending the Bank of England from the attacking mobs. The Gordon Riots refers to a number of events in a predominantly Protestant religious uprising in London, England, in 1780, aimed against the The Bank of England (formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England) is a state-owned institution and the Central bank of the United Kingdom It was under his orders that troops fired into the crowds of rioters; seen as a hypocrite by the working classes who had previously seen him as a "man of the people" and scaring off his middle class support with this violent action, the Gordon Riots almost extinguished his popularity.
When the phrase "Wilkes and Liberty!" was said to him in later years, he would turn away.
While he had been returned for the county seat of Middlesex in 1784, he found so little support by 1790 that he withdrew early in the election. The French Revolution of 1789 had proved a very divisive issue, and Wilkes had been against it due to the violent scenes from France. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an This went against the grain of popular feeling among radicals of the time and was a view associated with more conservative figures of the period such as Edmund Burke. Edmund Burke ( 12 January, 1729 9 July, 1797) was an Irish statesman author orator Political theorist, and
He spent his final years as a magistrate campaigning for more moderate punishment for disobedient household servants.
Influence
The Dutch politician Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol (1741–1784), who advocated the American Revolution and criticized the Stadtholder regime, was inspired by Wilkes. Joan Derk Baron van der Capellen tot den Poll ( November 2, 1741, Tiel – June 6, 1784, Zwolle) was a Dutch In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" A Stadtholder ( Dutch: stadhouder, " steward " or literally "place-keeper" or "stead-holder" in older Dutch in the Low The word regime (occasionally spelled " régime " particularly in older texts refers to a set of conditions most often of a Political nature
British subjects in the American colonies closely followed Wilkes's career. His struggles convinced many colonists that the British constitution was being subverted by a corrupt ministry, an idea that contributed to the coming of the American Revolution. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" After the Revolution, James Madison explicitly acted on his story when writing measures into the American constitution that prevented Congress from rejecting any legally elected member and proscribing general warrants for arrest. James Madison Jr (March 16 1751 – June 28 1836 was an American Politician, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817 and one of the Founding The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States.
Eponyms
- The city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania was named for John Wilkes and Isaac Barré. Wilkes-Barre (ˈwɪlksbɛrə or /-bɛri/ is the central city of the Wyoming Valley and County seat of Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania Isaac Barré (1726 – 1802 was a British Soldier and Politician.
- Wilkes University, a four-year, independent, non-sectarian college in Wilkes-Barre is named for John Wilkes. Wilkes University is a private non-denominational American University located in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania.
- Wilkes County, Georgia and Wilkes County, North Carolina were named in his honor. Wilkes County is a County located in the US state of Georgia. Wilkes County is a County located in the US state of North Carolina.
- Wilkes Street in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, is named for John Wilkes. Alexandria is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Fox & Wilkes Books, Laissez Faire Books publishing arm, is named for John Wilkes. Laissez Faire Books (LFB is an online bookseller that was originally based in New York City when it first opened in 1972
- American actor and assassin John Wilkes Booth, a distant relative, was named after John Wilkes. Abraham Lincoln assassination John Wilkes Booth (May 10 1838 – April 26 1865 was an American stage actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the
Bibliography
- P. D. G. Thomas. John Wilkes: A Friend to Liberty (1996).
- Holdsworth, William (1938). A History of English Law Vol. 10, pp. 659–672, ISBN 0-421-05100-0.
- Rudé, George (1962). Wilkes and Liberty: A Social Study of 1763 to 1774, ISBN 0-19-881091-1.
- Williamson, Audrey (1974). Wilkes, A Friend of Liberty, ISBN 0-04-923064-6.
- Cash, Arthur (2006). Arthur Hill Cash (born February 4, 1922) is an American Scholar of 18th-century English literature. John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty, ISBN 0-300-10871-0.
- John Sainsbury, John Wilkes: The Lives of a Libertine (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2006), 306 pp.
Sources
External links
- reason.com article
- 1769 Caricature of Wilkes as the "missing" candidate in the race for the Middlesex representative of the House of Commons
- The Lives & Times of the Hell-Fire Club
- Works by or about John Wilkes in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Potter John Willes |
Member of Parliament for Aylesbury with John Willes 1757–1761 Welbore Ellis 1761–1764 1757–1764 |
Succeeded by Welbore Ellis Anthony Bacon |
| Preceded by Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, Bt George Cooke |
Member of Parliament for Middlesex with George Cooke 1768 John Glynn 1768–1769 1768–1769 |
Succeeded by John Glynn Henry Luttrell |
| Preceded by John Glynn Henry Luttrell |
Member of Parliament for Middlesex with John Glynn 1774–1779 Thomas Wood 1779–1780 George Byng 1780–1784 William Mainwaring 1784–1790 1774–1790 |
Succeeded by William Mainwaring George Byng |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wilkes, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | journalist and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17 October 1725 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | 26 December 1797 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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