John Stuart Mill was taught at home by his father, starting Greek at the age of three. He became one of the great thinkers of his age, and his book On Liberty 1859) still shapes how we think about free speech. Elected an MP in 1865, he presented a mass petition for women's votes in 1866, and the next year proposed giving women the vote. It failed, but it was the first time Parliament had debated it. His book The Subjection of Women argued for full equality.
John Stuart Mill
Women's Vote Champion
EXTRA-ORDINARY TRAIT
CURIOSITY
JFDI PILLAR
I — INSTINCT
COUNTRY & REGION
England (UK & Ireland)
LIFESPAN
1806 – 1873
GENDER
Man
EDITION
No.036
✦ DEFINING MOMENT
Standing in the House of Commons, holding up the 1866 women's suffrage petition.
✦ ARCHIVAL DOSSIER
The Story
✦ VERIFIED QUOTE
“The worth of a State, in the long run, is the worth of the individuals composing it.”
✦ DID YOU KNOW?
He refused to canvass or spend money on his election campaign, and still won.
✦ YOUR TURN
What do you believe that you'd say out loud in a room that disagrees?