John Wilkes

John Wilkes (17 October 1725 – 26 December 1797) is an English radical, journalist, and politician.

He is first elected Member of Parliament in 1757.

In the Middlesex election dispute, he fights for the right of voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives.

In 1771, he is instrumental in obliging the government to concede the right of printers to publish verbatim accounts of parliamentary debates.

In 1776, he introduces the first Bill for parliamentary reform in the British Parliament.

During the American War of Independence, he is a supporter of the American rebels, adding further to his popularity with American Whigs.

In 1780, however, he commands militia forces which help put down the Gordon Riots, damaging his popularity with many radicals.

Wilkes's increasing conservatism as he grows older causes dissatisfaction among radicals and is instrumental in the loss of his Middlesex seat at the 1790 general election.

At the age of 65, Wilkes retires from politics and takes no part in the growth of radicalism in the 1790s following the French Revolution.

During his life, he earns a reputation as a libertine.

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