John Wilkes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Wilkes MP FRS
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 (1725-10-17)17 October 1725 Clerkenwell, London, Great Britain
Died	26 December 1797(1797-12-26) (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

John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) was an English journalist and politician. He was known for fighting for people's rights and freedom of speech. He became a Member of Parliament in 1757.

Wilkes played a big role in making sure newspapers could print what was said in Parliament. He also tried to change how Parliament worked to make it fairer. During the American War of Independence, he supported the American colonists. Later in his life, his views changed, which made him less popular with some of his supporters.

Early Life and Education

John Wilkes was born in Clerkenwell, a part of central London. He was the third child of Israel and Sarah Wilkes. He had several brothers and sisters.

John went to school in Hertford and had private tutors. He also studied at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. There, he met a clergyman named Andrew Baxter, who influenced his ideas about religion. Wilkes believed in religious tolerance, meaning people should be free to practice any religion.

In 1745, during a rebellion, Wilkes returned to London to help defend the city. After the rebellion ended, he went back to the Netherlands to finish his studies.

Family Life and Early Career

In 1747, John Wilkes married Mary Meade. They had one daughter, Mary, who he loved very much. However, John and Mary separated in 1756 and never got back together.

Wilkes became a member of the Royal Society in 1749. This is a famous group for scientists. In 1754, he was appointed High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. He tried to become a Member of Parliament in 1754 but didn't win. However, he was elected for Aylesbury in 1757 and again in 1761.

He was also part of a group called the Hellfire Club. Wilkes was known for his clever jokes and quick responses. People said he wasn't handsome, but he was very charming. He once joked that he could "talk away his face" in half an hour, meaning his charm made people forget how he looked.

Fighting for Freedom

Lord Bute, Prime Minister from 1762 to 1763, was a target of Wilkes' newspaper The North Briton.

"John Wilkes Esq.", a famous drawing by William Hogarth, showing Wilkes with his unique look.

John Wilkes started his political career supporting William Pitt the Elder. He was very keen on Britain's involvement in the Seven Years' War. When John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, became the head of the government in 1762, Wilkes started a newspaper called The North Briton. He used it to criticize Lord Bute, especially for what he saw as a bad peace deal to end the war.

The Famous Issue 45

On 23 April 1763, Wilkes strongly criticized a speech by King George III in issue 45 of The North Briton. The King felt personally insulted. He ordered the arrest of Wilkes and his publishers.

Forty-nine people were arrested. However, these "general warrants" (arrest warrants that didn't name specific people) were very unpopular. Wilkes argued that they were against the law. He gained a lot of public support. A judge ruled that Wilkes, as a Member of Parliament, was protected from arrest for libel. He was soon back in Parliament. People started chanting, "Wilkes, Liberty and Number 45!"

Parliament then quickly changed the law. They removed the protection for MPs from arrest for writing or publishing seditious libel.

Becoming an Outlaw

Wilkes's enemies in Parliament found a poem he had written that they called offensive. They used it to try and get him expelled from Parliament again. Wilkes fled to Paris before he could be expelled or put on trial. He was found guilty in his absence and declared an outlaw in 1764.

In 1768, Wilkes returned to England. He wanted to run for Parliament again. The government didn't arrest him right away because they didn't want to make him even more popular.

He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Middlesex, where he had a lot of support. He then gave himself up to the court. He was sentenced to two years in prison and fined £1,000.

The St George's Fields Incident

When Wilkes was in prison in May 1768, his supporters gathered outside. They chanted "No liberty, no King." Soldiers opened fire on the unarmed crowd, killing seven people and wounding fifteen. This event became known as the Massacre of St George's Fields.

The Middlesex Election Dispute

The Brentford Sweepstakes, a drawing from 1769, making fun of the election. Wilkes' horse is shown winning.

Parliament expelled Wilkes in February 1769. But his supporters in Middlesex re-elected him. Parliament expelled him again, and he was re-elected again. After his third re-election, Parliament declared his opponent, Henry Luttrell, the winner, even though Wilkes had more votes.

Wilkes became an Alderman of London in 1769. He used his supporters' group, the Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights, to help him. Eventually, Wilkes convinced Parliament to remove the rule that stopped him from being a Member of Parliament.

While in Parliament, he spoke out against the government's policies towards the American colonies. He also introduced one of the first bills for parliamentary reform, though it didn't pass. After being released from prison in 1770, Wilkes became a sheriff in London. In 1771, a law was passed that allowed newspapers to print what was said in Parliament, something Wilkes had strongly supported.

Later Life and Legacy

Wilkes' popularity changed after he helped protect the Bank of England during the Gordon Riots in 1780.

In 1774, John Wilkes became the Lord Mayor of London. He was also re-elected to Parliament, again representing Middlesex. He continued to oppose the war with the American colonies and supported religious tolerance. His biggest success was protecting the freedom of the press. He helped pass a law that removed the power of general warrants and stopped Parliament from punishing political reports of debates. In 1779, he became the Chamberlain of the City of London, a very important job he held until he died.

After 1780, his popularity began to decrease. During the Gordon Riots, a large uprising in London, Wilkes was in charge of the soldiers defending the Bank of England. He ordered the troops to fire into the crowds of rioters. This action made many working-class people, who had seen him as a hero, criticize him.

Wilkes was re-elected for Middlesex in 1784. However, by 1790, he had less support and withdrew from the election early. The French Revolution of 1789 caused a lot of division in England. Wilkes was against the violence in France, which was different from many other radicals at the time.

In his final years, Wilkes worked as a magistrate. He campaigned for more fair punishments for household servants. He died at his home in London on 26 December 1797, at the age of 72. He was buried in Grosvenor Chapel.

Influence and Legacy

Statue of John Wilkes in Fetter Lane, London.

John Wilkes was a hero to many people who wanted more rights in Britain and North America. The slogan "Wilkes and Liberty" was popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

His struggles in Britain made many American colonists believe that the British government was becoming unfair. This idea helped lead to the American Revolution. Wilkes was admired in the American colonies as a journalist and a fighter for freedom. He helped establish the right to freedom of the press in the United States. After the American Revolution, the new American constitution included rules to prevent Congress from rejecting any legally elected member and to ban general warrants for arrest.

Places Named After Wilkes

• Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — named for John Wilkes and Isaac Barré.
• Wilkes University, a university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
• Wilkes Street in Spitalfields, London.
• Wilkes County, Georgia and Wilkes County, North Carolina.
• Wilkes Street in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
• The Wilkes Head (public house) in Eastergate, West Sussex.
• The Wilkes Head (public house) in Leek, North Staffordshire.

Images for kids

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  John Wilkes plaque in Grosvenor Chapel, London.

Offices and Titles

See also

In Spanish: John Wilkes para niños