Samuel Madden

Samuel Madden (23 December 1686 - 31 December 1765) was an Irish author. His works include Themistocles; The Lover of His Country, Reflections and Resolutions Proper for the Gentlemen of Ireland, and Memoirs of the Twentieth Century. Dr. Samuel Johnson wrote of him, "His was a name which Ireland ought to honour." He co-founded the Royal Dublin Society in 1731 and donated a grant to Trinity College, Dublin - the source of his nickname Premium.

Rev. Samuel Madden, D.D., commonly called "Premium" Madden, was born on December 23, 1686, in Dublin, Ireland. His father was John Madden, and his mother was Mary Molyneux.

In 1729, he wrote a tragedy entitled Themistocles, the Lover of His Country.

In 1731, established premiums for learning at Trinity College, Dublin (which led to his nickname) and, along with Thomas Prior, founded the Royal Dublin Society.

In 1733, he wrote Memoirs of the Twentieth Century, one of the first science fiction novels. However, it was suppressed by Sir Robert Walpole, and is now very rare. A reprint of the original sheets appeared with Garland Publishing in 1972 (). The work was originally designed to have six volumes yet discontinued after volume one.

In 1738, he wrote his most famous work, Reflections and Resolutions Proper for the Gentlemen of Ireland, in which he described the poor living conditions in Ireland at the time.

Samuel Madden died on December 31, 1765, at age 79.

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