William Tooke FRS (1777–1863) was an English lawyer, politician, and President of the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

Early life and the law

He was the younger son of William Tooke the historian; Thomas Tooke was his elder brother. Born at

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

on 22 November 1777, he came to England in 1792, and was articled to William Devon, solicitor, in

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, with whom he entered into partnership in 1798. Subsequently, he was for many years at 39 Bedford Row, in partnership with Charles Parker, and then in the firm of Tooke, Son, & Hallowes. In 1825 Tooke took a prominent part in the formation of the St. Katharine's Docks, and was the London agent of George Barker, the solicitor of the

London and Birmingham Railway The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). The railway line which the company opened in 1838, betw ...

Voluntary work

He participated in the foundation of

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in Gower Street. He was one of its first council members (19 December 1823), and continued as treasurer until March 1841. He worked for the charter for the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

on a ''

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

'' basis. He was an active member of the council of the society, and one of the main promoters of Thomas Wright's ''Biographia Britannica Literaria''. In 1826, with

Lord Brougham Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux, (; 19 September 1778 – 7 May 1868) was a British statesman who became Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and played a prominent role in passing the Reform Act 1832 and Slavery ...

George Birkbeck George Birkbeck (; 10 January 1776 – 1 December 1841) was an English physician, academic, philanthropist, pioneer in adult education and a professor of natural philosophy at the Andersonian Institute. He is the founder of Birkbeck, Universit ...

George Grote George Grote (; 17 November 1794 – 18 June 1871) was an English political radical and classical historian. He is now best known for his major work, the voluminous ''History of Greece''. Early life George Grote was born at Clay Hill near Be ...

, and others, he took part in the formation of the

Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was founded in London in 1826, mainly at the instigation of Whig MP Henry Brougham, with the object of publishing information to people who were unable to obtain a formal education or who ...

; but in 1846 he was one of those who disapproved of the publication of the Society's ''Biographical Dictionary''. Tooke was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

on 12 March 1818. He was present at the first annual meeting of the Law Institution on 5 June 1827, and was instrumental in obtaining a royal charter of incorporation for it in January 1832. From an earlier period he was a leading member of the Society of Arts; in 1814 he was the chairman of the committee of correspondence and editor of the ''Transactions'', and in 1862 he was elected president of the society. For services to the

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a Charitable organization, charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters ar ...

he was elected an honorary member. From 1824 he was honorary secretary and from 1840 one of the three treasurers of the Royal Literary Fund Society.

In politics

At the general election of 1830, with his friend Sir John William Lubbock, Tooke unsuccessfully contested the close borough of

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

. After

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the Reform Act 1832, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45), enacted by the Whig government of Pri ...

, he on 15 December 1832 was elected, and represented the borough until July 1837. He was afterwards a candidate for Finsbury, but did not proceed to a poll, and on 30 June 1841 he unsuccessfully contested Reading. During the five sessions that he sat in parliament Tooke supported reform, and gave his vote for measures for the promotion of education and for the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

; but in later life his views became more conservative.

Death

Tooke died at 12

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton (property developer), James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Mus ...

, London, on 20 September 1863, and was buried in

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

. His portrait was painted by J. White for the board-room of the governors and directors of the poor of the parishes of St. Andrew, Holborn, and St. George's, Bloomsbury, and engraved in mezzotint by Charles Turner.

Works

In 1804 Tooke published anonymously, in two volumes, the ''Poetical Works'' of Charles Churchill; republished in three volumes in 1844 under his own name in William Pickering's ''Aldine Poets'', and reprinted in two volumes in 1892. In 1855 he compiled ''The Monarchy of France, its Rise, Progress, and Fall'', in two volumes. Tooke printed privately verses written by himself and some of his friends, under the title of ''Verses edited by M.M.M.'' (1860). These initials represented his family motto, ''Militia Mea Multiplex''. He also wrote a pamphlet, signed W. T., entitled ''University of London: Statement of Facts as to Charter'', 1835. He was a contributor to the ''

New Monthly Magazine ''The New Monthly Magazine'' was a British monthly magazine published from 1814 to 1884. It was founded by Henry Colburn and published by him through to 1845. History Colburn and Frederic Shoberl established ''The New Monthly Magazine and Uni ...

'', the ''

Annual Register ''The Annual Register'' (originally subtitled "A View of the History, Politicks and Literature of the Year ...") is a long-established reference work, written and published each year, which records and analyses the year's major events, developmen ...

'', and the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term '' ...

''.

Family

In 1807 Tooke married Amelia (died 1848), youngest daughter of Samuel Shaen of Crix, Essex. By her he left a son, Arthur William Tooke of

Pinner Pinner is a suburb in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 38,698 in 2021. Originally a mediaeval ...

, Middlesex, and two daughters.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Tooke, William 1777 births 1863 deaths 19th-century English lawyers 19th-century English historians Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Truro Fellows of the Royal Society UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Members of Gray's Inn London and Birmingham Railway Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom