The Letters of John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was a British philosopher-economist, the son of James Mill, who had a great impact in 19th-century British thought, not only in philosophy and economics but also in the areas of political science, logic, and ethics. Mill was early introduced to the Benthamites, who actively pursued various social and political reforms along the utilitarian lines laid down by Jeremy Bentham. James Mill personally undertook the education of his precocious son, beginning with Greek at age three, with the aim of preparing him intellectually for eventual leadership of the group. At the age of 17 he had completed advanced and thorough courses of study in Greek literature and philosophy, chemistry, botany, psychology, and law. In 1822 he began to work as a clerk for his father in the examiner's office of the India House, and six years later he was promoted to the post of assistant examiner. Until 1856 he had charge of the company's relations with the princely states of India. In the latter year, Mill became chief of the examiner's office, a position he held until the dissolution of the company in 1858, when he retired. Mill lived in Saint Veran, near Avignon in France, until 1865, when he entered Parliament as a member from Westminster. Failing to secure reelection in the general election of 1868, he returned to France, where he studied and wrote until his death at Avignon on May 8, 1873.