John Wilkes

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

He was first elected Member of Parliament in 1757. In the Middlesex election dispute, he fought for the right of his voters—rather than the House of Commons—to determine their representatives. In 1768 angry protests of his supporters were suppressed in the St George's Fields Massacre. In 1771, he was instrumental in obliging the government to concede the right of printers to publish verbatim accounts of parliamentary debates. In 1776, he introduced the first bill for parliamentary reform in the British Parliament.

During the American War of Independence, he was a supporter of the American rebels, adding further to his popularity with American Whigs. In 1780, however, he commanded militia forces which helped put down the Gordon Riots, damaging his popularity with many radicals. This marked a turning point, leading him to embrace increasingly conservative policies which caused dissatisfaction among the progressive-radical low-to-middle income landowners. This was instrumental in the loss of his Middlesex parliamentary seat in the 1790 general election. At the age of 65, Wilkes retired from politics and took part in progressive social reforms such as Catholic Emancipation in the 1790s following the French Revolution. During his life, he earned a reputation as a libertine.

John Wilkes (disambiguation)

John Wilkes was an English radical, journalist and politician in the 18th century.

John Wilkes may also refer to:

First National Bank of Charlotte

First National Bank of Charlotte was a bank located in Charlotte, North Carolina from 1865 until 1930.

Early history

In 1853, John Wilkes, the son of Admiral Charles Wilkes, moved to Charlotte to supervise his family's mining and milling business. He served under the Confederacy during the Civil War, but he was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward. Soon after the end of the war, Wilkes started the first national bank in the South after the war. By December 15, 1865, Wilkes had received $500,000 in U.S. bonds. The same year, First National Bank became the only North Carolina bank printing National Bank Notes.

This bank played a major role in Charlotte's growth, as did the city's railroad access to other areas. Rufus Y. McAden, founder of the mills and mill village that became McAdenville, succeeded Wilkes as bank president in 1867. Robert M. Oates became president in 1891, and McAden's son Henry M. McAden served as president from 1907 until the bank's failure in 1930.

John Wilkes (printer)

John Wilkes (1750 – March 31, 1810) was an English printer, bookseller and stationer. He was a Freeman of Winchester and proprietor of the Hampshire Chronicle. With Peter Barfoot he ran the British Directory Office in London, which published the Universal British Directory from 1790 to 1798 after obtaining a royal patent. He "compiled, digested and arranged" the Encyclopaedia Londinensis; or, universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature, which was published between about 1801 and 1828 in 24 volumes, with three volumes of copperplate engravings. Some extensive articles were also published separately, viz. Horology (1811)

He owned Milland House, the "chief residence" in Milland, West Sussex. IIt was described later as "a remote, old-fashioned country house of antique appearance, and difficult of access, arranged in a style that would now be considered out of date. It contained a brewery, bakery, servants hall...The house was built by Peter Bettesworth in 1584, and was completely destroyed by fire November 6th, 1901. The interior contained a very fine staircase in oak, of Jacobean character, and the drawing room was fitted with some oak panelling of the same character and date."

John Wilkes (archaeologist)

Professor John Joseph Wilkes, FBA, FSA (born 1936) is a British archaeologist and academic. He is Emeritus Yates Professor of Greek and Roman Archaeology at University College London.

Early life

Wilkes was born in 1936 in Reigate, Surrey, England. He studied Ancient History and Archaeology at University College London. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). He went on to study at Durham University. From them, he received his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree.

Academic career

From 1961 to 1963, Wilkes was a research fellow at the University of Birmingham. He moved to the University of Manchester where he was an assistant lecturer in history and archaeology from 1963 to 1964. He then returned the University of Birmingham as Lecturer in Roman History and Archaeology. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 1971.

In 1974, he returned to University College London where he studied for his undergraduate degree. He joined the Institute of Archaeology as Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Provinces. In 1992, he was appointed Yates Professor of Greek and Roman Archaeology. He retired from the university in 2001. He is currently Emeritus Yates Professor of Greek and Roman Archaeology at the university.