 | John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty Subjects: Wilkes John 1727–1797; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760–1789; Freedom of the press -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century; Civil rights -- Great Britain -- History -- 18th century; Politicians -- Great Britain -- Biography; Journali; Pulitzer Prize Finalist: A biography of the wildly colorful eighteenth-century British politician who became "the toast of American revolutionaries" ( Booklist ). One of the most colorful figures in English political history, John Wilkes (1726-97) is remembered as the father of the British free press, a defender of civil and political liberties--and a hero to American colonists. Wilkes's political career was rancorous, involving duels, imprisonments in the Tower of London, and the Massacre of St. George's Fields, in which seven of his supporters were shot to death by government troops. He was equally famous for his "private" life--as a confessed libertine, a member of the notorious Hellfire Club, and the author of what has been called the dirtiest poem in the English language. This lively biography draws a full portrait of John Wilkes from his childhood days through his heyday as a journalist and agitator, his defiance of government prosecutions for libel and obscenity, his fight against exclusion from Parliament, and his service as lord mayor of London on the eve of the American Revolution. Told here with the force and immediacy of a firsthand newspaper account, Wilkes's own remarkable story is inseparable from the larger story of modern civil liberties and how they came to fruition. "[Does] justice to Wilkes both as a fiery proponent of individual rights and as . . . a libertine par excellence in an age with no shortage of memorable rakes." -- The New York Times "It is difficult to believe that John Wilkes, a notorious womanizer and scandal-monger, was a genuine hero of civil liberties and political democracy on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 18th century, but hero he was and in this engaging book Arthur Cash gives Wilkes the serious treatment he has long deserved." --Eric Foner, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in History and New York Times -bestselling author of Reconstruction Arthur Hill Cash was born in Gary, Indiana on February 4, 1922. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Chicago School of Expression and Dramatic Art and joined the Tilton's Comedians, a troupe that performed stock dramas in rural towns. In 1942, he enlisted in the Army and served in England and France as a surgical technician with a medical unit. After Germany's surrender, he was assigned to perform in and stage manage Brother Rat at Army bases in Germany and France. He received a bachelor's degree in 1948 from the University of Chicago, a master's degree in 1950 from the University of Wisconsin, and a doctorate in 1961 from Columbia University. He taught at the University of Colorado, the University of New Mexico, and Colorado State University before joining the English department at the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1967. He retired from there in 1997. He wrote several biographies during his lifetime including Laurence Sterne: The Early and Middle Years, Laurence Sterne: The Later Years, and John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty. He took an active role in the restoration of Laurence Sterne's house Shandy Hall and wrote a visitor's guide entitled Laurence Sterne at Shandy Hall. He died on December 29, 2016 at the age of 94. (Bowker Author Biography) |
