John Wilkes
October 17, 2012
On this date in 1727, Lord Mayor of London John Wilkes was born in England. He studied at Leyden University with fellow student Baron d'Holbach,
who became a leading encyclopedist and rationalist. During a decade of
social exploits as a member of the Hell-Fire Club, Wilkes was known for
his witticisms, once announcing before a card game: "I am so ignorant
that I cannot tell the difference between a king and a knave." Wilkes
became High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1754. He was elected a member
of Parliament for Aylesbury in 1757, where he agitated for Parliamentary
reform. He founded the periodical, North Briton, in 1762, to
campaign against the king and his prime minister. Wilkes was prosecuted
for seditious libel for an article appearing in April 1763. He was sent
to the Tower but was released under parliamentary privilege. His Essay on Woman
(1763), which was both bawdy and blasphemous, was burned by the
hangman. Parliament voted to repeal the privilege of arrest for
seditious writings, and Wilkes escaped arrest by fleeing to France,
where he was welcomed by d'Holbach and Diderot.
After Wilkes returned to England, he was elected Member of Parliament
for Middlesex in 1768. A crowd of 15,000 assembled at the prison where
Wilkes was detained, chanting "Damn the King." Troops opened fire and
killed seven in the Massacre of St. George's Fields. Wilkes, sentenced
to 22 months in prison, was expelled from the House of Commons. Voters
nevertheless kept returning Wilkes. He was released from prison in 1770
and founded the Bill of Rights Society. After a long fight, he was
seated. The Deist made a campaign for religious toleration a priority.
When the House tried to bar London newspapers from publishing House
debates about freedom of the press, arresting two of Wilkes' printers,
Wilkes took quick action. His printers were released, there was a
triumphant parade and British freedom of the press was secured. Wilkes
was a supporter of Americans in the War of Independence. He became Lord
Mayor of London in 1774. His popularity waned toward the end of his life
as he became more conservative. D. 1797.
Compiled by Annie Laurie Gaylor - www.ffrf.org
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