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John Wilkes | |
|---|---|
 John Wilkes by Richard Houston (1769) | |
| Parliamentary offices | |
| 1757–1764 | Member of Parliament for Aylesbury |
| 1768–1769 | Member of Parliament for Middlesex |
| 1774–1790 | Member of Parliament for Middlesex |
| Civic offices | |
| 1754–1755 | High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire |
| 1771–1772 | Sheriff of London |
| 1774–1775 | Lord Mayor of London |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Wilkes 17 October 1725 Clerkenwell, London, Great Britain |
| Died | 26 December 1797 (aged 72) Westminster, London, Great Britain |
| Resting place | Grosvenor Chapel |
| Political party | Radical |
| Spouse |
Mary Meade
(m. 1747; sep. 1756) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Mary Hayley (sister) |
| Alma mater | Leiden University |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Gordon Riots |
| Writing career | |
| Language | English |
| Literary movement | Radicalism |
| Notable works | An Essay on Woman The North Briton |
John Wilkes FRS (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English radical journalist and politician, as well as a magistrate, essayist and soldier. He was first elected a Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of his voters – rather than the House of Commons – to determine their representatives. In 1768, angry protests of his supporters were suppressed in the Massacre of St George's Fields. 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.
During the American War of Independence, he was a supporter of the rebels, adding further to his popularity with American Whigs. In 1780, however, he commanded militia forces which helped put down the Gordon Riots, damaging his popularity with many radicals. This marked a turning point, leading him to embrace increasingly conservative policies which caused dissatisfaction among the radical low-to-middle income landowners. This was instrumental in the loss of his Middlesex parliamentary seat in the 1790 general election. At the age of 65, Wilkes retired from politics and took no part in the social reforms following the French Revolution, such as Catholic Emancipation in the 1790s. During his life, he earned a reputation as a libertine.