Thomas Whately facts for kids

Thomas Whately (born in 1726 – died May 26, 1772) was an English politician and writer. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1761 to 1768. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in a parliament, which is a country's main law-making body. Whately also held important government jobs, like being a Commissioner on the Board of Trade (which dealt with trade rules), a Secretary to the Treasury (helping manage the country's money), and an Under-secretary of State (a senior assistant to a government minister).

As an MP, he wrote a letter supporting the Stamp Act of 1765. This law was a tax on printed materials in the American colonies. His support for this act played a part in the events that led to the American Revolution, when the American colonies fought for their independence from Britain.

Whately is perhaps best known for his book, Observations on Modern Gardening, illustrated by descriptions, published in London in 1770. This book was very important and successful for its time. It described the English Landscape Garden style, which was a new way of designing gardens to look natural. The book was so popular that it was translated into German and French just one year later.

Life and Career

Thomas Whately was the oldest son of Thomas Whately from Epsom, Surrey. He went to Clare College, Cambridge in 1745. In 1742, he began studying law at the Middle Temple, a famous place for legal training in London. He became a lawyer in 1751. His younger brother was Joseph Whately, a church leader. This made Thomas the uncle of Richard Whately, who later became an important church leader himself.

For many years, Thomas Whately was a close friend and advisor to George Grenville, a powerful politician. Whately would share political news and gossip with Grenville. He also wrote letters to other important figures like Lord Temple, Lord George Sackville, and James Harris.

Whately was a member of parliament for the area of Ludgershall in Wiltshire from 1761 to 1768. From 1768 until his death, he represented the borough of Castle Rising in Norfolk. From April 1764 to July 1765, he worked as the secretary to the treasury under George Grenville. After Grenville's government ended, Whately joined the political opposition.

After Grenville died in 1770, Whately started working with Lord North, another important political leader. Whately helped connect Lord North with Grenville's old friends. Some people, like a famous writer known as Junius, criticized Whately. Junius said Whately had "the talents of an attorney" (meaning he was good at legal details) and that he had abandoned Grenville's cause. Despite this, Whately received new government jobs. He became a commissioner on the board of trade in January 1771. He also became the keeper of the King's private roads in January 1772. In June 1771, he was made an under-secretary of state for the northern department. He held these positions until he died.

Thomas Whately died on May 26, 1772. He was not married and did not leave a will. His brother, William Whately, who was a banker, handled his affairs.

Political Writings

Thomas Whately wrote several books and pamphlets about politics. A pamphlet is a small, thin book with a paper cover, often used to share opinions. In 1765, he wrote Remarks on "The Budget," or a Candid Examination of the Facts and Arguments in that Pamphlet. This book argued against David Hartley's criticisms of George Grenville's money plans. Whately also defended Grenville in another book called Considerations on the Trade and Finances of the Kingdom and on the Measures of the Administration since the Conclusion of the Peace, which had three editions by 1769. These writings show his strong support for his political leader and his interest in the country's economy.

Observations on Modern Gardening

Whately is most famous among garden lovers for his book Observations on Modern Gardening, illustrated by descriptions. He wrote this book in 1770 while living in the Mansion House in Nonsuch Park. This book was one of the most complete works on the ideas and methods of English landscape gardening. This style of gardening aimed to create natural-looking landscapes, like beautiful paintings.

Before Whately, garden designers like Charles Bridgeman and William Kent had started this style. Later, Lancelot "Capability" Brown became very famous for it. However, none of them wrote down their ideas in detail. Whately's book helped explain the principles behind this naturalistic garden style.

Even Thomas Jefferson, who later became the third President of the United States, owned a copy of Whately's book. Jefferson had it in his library at Monticello. In 1786, when he was a minister in France, Jefferson visited England. He wanted to learn more about garden design. He toured English gardens with his close friend, John Adams, who would become the second U.S. President. Whately's book was a key guide for people interested in this new way of designing gardens.

Whately's work was very popular and was printed many times. It was translated into German and French as early as 1771, showing its wide influence.

Remarks on Some of the Characters in Shakespeare

After Thomas Whately died, his brother, Joseph Whately, published another of his unfinished works in 1785. This book was called Remarks on Some of the Characters in Shakespeare. In it, Whately looked closely at some of William Shakespeare's main characters. He used ideas about psychology (how the mind works) and motivation to understand why these characters acted the way they did. His ideas were quite new for the time and showed his early interest in what would later be called Romanticism, a movement that focused on emotions and imagination.

Hutchinson Letters Affair

After Whately's death, some letters he had received became part of a big scandal. These letters were from Thomas Hutchinson, who was the governor of Massachusetts, and other British officials in the American colonies. The letters were secretly given to Benjamin Franklin, a famous American leader. Franklin then had them published in Boston.

The letters caused a huge scandal because they talked about public affairs in the colonies. They described the situation in America in a way that was not true. They said that the colonists' unhappiness was caused by a few troublemakers. The letters also suggested that the British government should send soldiers and use force to make the colonists obey British laws. This scandal made many colonists even angrier at the British government and its officials. The affair even led to a duel involving Whately's brother, William.

Other Notable Facts

In 1771, a town in Massachusetts, United States, was named Whately, Massachusetts in his honor. This happened at the request of Thomas Hutchinson, who was then the acting governor.