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John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty

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John Wilkes could be considered a "flower-child of the 60's". The 1760's, that is. As I read this magnificent telling of JOHN WILKES: THE SCANDELOUS FATHER OF CIVIL LIBERTY by Arthur Cash, I couldn't help but wonder how this free spirit would be accepted today. I was reminded of countless modern day examples of people who resemble this man they probably never heard of. Cash captures the essence of his subject in an erudite fashion seldom found.

We Americans owe a great deal to Wilkes, and yet, he ranks but a footnote in the pages of our history. Wilkes encompassed the American spirit of independence and if known today, would be a folk hero of the highest regard. Perhaps Cash's work can help put the name of John Wilkes in its rightful place.

John Wilkes had to compensate for his less than dashing looks, and he did so quite well with his wit. He was cross-eyed and had a most prominent jaw, almost to the point of deformity. By the time he was forty, he had lost his teeth and spoke with a very heavy lisp. His wit can be illustrated by his comment to Lord Sandwich who told Wilkes he would either die of the pox or at the gallows. Wilkes retorted, "That depends, my Lord, on whether I embrace your wife, or your principles."

Wilkes pushed the bounds of the "free press" with his publication, the North Briton, which at one point, won him a week in the tower. In the end, however, Wilkes' incessant attack on pushing the boundaries of the free press would eventually make his name synonymous with liberty.

We picture those stuffy men of the late 18th century sitting in Parliament with their starched collars, their powdered wigs, and their staunch expressions and I'm sure many of them fit that very description. But this parliamentarian, writer, freedom fighter and part time pornographer will shock readers with just how "anti-establishment" he was, and for the most part, got away with.

Arthur Cash has composed a delightful, though lengthy read about someone we all should get to know a little better.

Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com

A superior biography of an Englishman who had a great impact on the advancement of liberty, both at home and, by example, in the colonies that were to become the United States.

Today's readers will find this life of John Wilkes deserving of attention for a multitude of reasons. Professor Cash gives clear background on many of the political and judicial terms of that age, many of which are still in use today. The evil that was embedded in general warrants, the beginnings to a right of privacy, freedom of the press, and the start towards universal suffrage are all part of this story. As well as the private worldly pleasures of an unorthodox gentleman who never met a debt or woman he could refuse.

One of the best books, if not the best, I have read this past year. If you are a fan of James Boswell or Voltaire I wager that you will enjoy this worthy effort by the accomplished author Arthur H. Cash.

The name of John Wilkes has come up in several books I've read and in a few classes I've taken, but I never really learned all that much about him. Arthur Cash has written a good biography of this eighteenth century Englishman who gained fame for pointing out and fighting the abuses perpetrated by his own government, namely the Parliament and the King's ministers (Wilkes rarely blamed King George III personally). Specifically, Wilkes fought his government when it came to issues like the general search warrant, freedom of press and privacy, and the right of the people, not parliament, to choose its representatives in the House of Commons. Indeed, all this makes Wilkes out to be a champion of civil liberty as well as for the rights of commoners, which in many ways he was, but he also remained loyal to the crown and acted against rioters and mob action, at least that which threatened to turn into lawlessness. It's also worth mentioning that our country learned from some of the causes Wilkes fought for.

In addition to Wilkes's causes and actions taken in the public sphere, we get to see the John Wilkes who enjoyed the intimate company of many women, producing one legitimate daughter (Polly) and a few illegitimate children along the way, enjoyed a good bawdy joke or just making fun of a political figure, spending himself into deeper and deeper debt and so on. Wilkes was not a one-dimensional man by any means. It seemed to come across in this book that John Wilkes tried to make the most out of life, though I think he enjoyed certain things a little too much. He did not seem to sink into complete despair or unhappiness; his contemporaries made note of this upbeat side of his personality. But his activities without question made him a controversial person.

He published criticisms of the government that led to his being declared an outlaw, resulted in a few duels, forced him into exile, was imprisoned and even then was being elected to serve in the House of Commons, but was denied a seat until he finally did win the right to represent the constituents who had elected him to serve. He served in other positions as well, including as Alderman, Lord Mayor of London and Chamberlain (like a treasurer for the city of London). Throughout his ordeals, his reputation and popularity only grew, much to the chagrin of those in government who had been subjected to his wit and criticisms. Wilkes also spoke out in the House of Commons as a supporter for universal suffrage for men, almost unheard of at that time.

In addition to these sides to Wilkes's public roles and his personal life, which I've only so briefly touched on, we become acquainted with many of his friends and associates as well as his enemies, his close and loving relationship with his daughter Polly, though he also seemed kind and loving towards his illegitimate children. Indeed, Cash makes it a point to reveal that Wilkes was often a very courteous, loyal and true gentleman, though this isn't always the case. He was full of life. These are some of the impressions I came away with from reading this book. There were still certain episodes I would have liked to have known a little more about, namely his public service roles and more about his accomplishments and or failures, a more in-depth view of his take on the American Revolution and its conclusion among other things. In the afterword, Cash mentioned that his take on Wilkes is different from that of many other historians; I would have liked the author to have developed that point more. I guess that's what reading other sources are for. Needless to say, this was a good biography on a very colorful individual.

John Wilkes was one of the most fascinating figures of the 18th century, both politically and personally. We in the U.S. owe many of the principles in the Bill of Rights to Wilkes, yet how many Americans have heard of him? Especially now (2006), when so many of our civil liberties are being eviscerated, this is an important book.

Wilkes was also a colorful character -- to say that he loved wine, women, and song is an understatement. This was a guy who squeezed every drop he could out of life, all the while fighting for a free press, protection against unwarranted search and seizure, and free speech. Arthur Cash has given us a rich historical portrait of a true hero (along with some unforgettable Wilkes quotes). If you've never heard of North Briton No. 45, what are you waiting for?!

I ordered this book to help me fill in some gaps in my research on the history of the Fourth Amendment. Because Wilkes and his litigation are constant subjects of discussion whenever the origins of the Fourth Amendment are discussed, I thought I should know a good bit more about this once famous individual. I must say that Mr. Cash's book kept me up several nights and was a real page-turner. Fascinating history, and very well written. The details provide a great sense of the atmosphere of this amazing period. My hat is off to Mr. Cash.

Back in 1955 or thereabouts, I wrote a term paper for Crane Brinton on John Wilkes and the rise of radicalism. It was not a very good paper, but in those days graduate students got A's unless they were hopeless or plagiarists. Frankly, I wrote about Wilkes because he was such an outrageous fellow, not because he heralded the dawn of a new political era.

In this I was not alone. There have been a number of Wilkes biographies, many of which have centered on his dissolute life; his political life treated as a sidelight. Cash has written a biography that is more concerned with Wilkes' role in bringing about freedom of the press, universal manhood suffrage, free elections, and civil liberties--institutions that were sadly lacking in Eighteenth Century England.

Wilkes began his political career as an MP supporting Pitt the Elder and his policies. When Pitt went into opposition in 1762, Wilkes backed him and launched vigorous journalistic attacks on Bute and the administration. King George III countered by prosecuting Wilkes for seditious libel. The rest is a tragic-comic history of trials, exile, prisons, and attempts to buy Wilkes off. But it's not all work and wonkery. Cash also details Wilkes' reputation as a no-good who all but abandoned his wife, kept scores of mistresses, wrote filthy verse, and paid for his quite opulent life style by stiffing his many creditors. But in fairness, Cash does not include incidents reported by the scandal-mongers of the time that are spurious but faithfully repeated by later historians and biographers.

Wilkes was a hero to American revolutionaries whose principles he supported (although not their act of rebellion). This admiration is reflected in the towns (e.g., Wilkes-Barre PA), counties, and streets named after him. Wilkes was also a popular name for American children (e.g., John Wilkes Booth, although the assassin was a distant relative).

This book is a scholarly piece of research which is also pleasant to read. It's not an easy read, however, given the plethora of detail that the reader has to keep straight. Has extensive notes and bibliography.

Arthur Cash's biography of John Wilkes, the 18th century English political figure, provides a fascinating view of the social and political world of the 1760s, a time when English radicals under the "Wilkite" banner challenged the authority of the King's Ministry to control the press. It is astounding to realize to what extent Wilkes, by his lampooning publications in the "North Briton", personally took on the establishment of the time. Rights he was instrumental in securing include "habeas corpus", freedom of the press, freedom from search and seizure without a specific warrant, and the right of people to choose their representative. Just as interesting is his personal life as a libertine and devoted father to his daughter Polly and illegitimate son "Jack Smith". He knew everyone who was anyone and was a renowned wit.

This book reads well and has lots of of things of interest to say about this great, but flawed Englishman. One small niggle: the author has difficulty with the peerage system and titles [especially the sons of peers and the correct use of Royal Highness, which does not refer to the monarch]- okay, pretty trivial for most purposes, but fairly important for a historian of 18th century British politics.