William Blackstone
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Sir William Blackstone SL KC |
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| Justice of the Common Pleas | |
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In office 25 June 1770 – 14 February 1780 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Clive |
| Succeeded by | John Heath |
| Justice of the Court of King's Bench | |
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In office 16 February 1770 – 25 June 1770 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Yates |
| Succeeded by | William Ashurst |
| Member of Parliament for Westbury | |
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In office 1768–1770 |
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| Preceded by | Chauncy Townsend |
| Succeeded by | Charles Dillon |
| Member of Parliament for Hindon | |
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In office 30 March 1761 – 1768 |
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| Preceded by | James Calthorpe |
| Succeeded by | John St Leger Douglas |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
10 July 1723 London |
| Died | 14 February 1780 (aged 56) Wallingford, Berkshire |
| Resting place | St Peter's Church, Wallingford |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Clitherow |
| Residence | No. 55 Lincoln's Inn Fields |
| Alma mater | Pembroke College, Oxford |
Sir William Blackstone SL KC (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle-class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke College, Oxford in 1738. After switching to and completing a Bachelor of Civil Law degree, he was made a Fellow of All Souls, Oxford on 2 November 1743, admitted to Middle Temple, and called to the Bar there in 1746. Following a slow start to his career as a barrister, Blackstone became heavily involved in university administration, becoming accountant, treasurer and bursar on 28 November 1746 and Senior Bursar in 1750. Blackstone is considered responsible for completing the Codrington Library and Warton Building, and simplifying the complex accounting system used by the college. On 3 July 1753 he formally gave up his practice as a barrister and instead embarked on a series of lectures on English law, the first of their kind. These were massively successful, earning him a total of £453 (£63,000 in 2017 terms), and led to the publication of An Analysis of the Laws of England in 1756, which repeatedly sold out and was used to preface his later works.
On 20 October 1758 Blackstone was confirmed as the first Vinerian Professor of English Law, immediately embarking on another series of lectures and publishing a similarly successful second treatise, titled A Discourse on the Study of the Law. With his growing fame, Blackstone successfully returned to the bar and maintained a good practice, also securing election as Tory Member of Parliament for the rotten borough of Hindon on 30 March 1761. In February 1766 he published the first volume of Commentaries on the Laws of England, considered his magnum opus—the completed work earned Blackstone £14,000 (£1,756,000 in 2017 terms). After repeated failures, he successfully gained appointment to the judiciary as a Justice of the Court of King's Bench on 16 February 1770, leaving to replace Edward Clive as a Justice of the Common Pleas on 25 June. He remained in this position until his death, on 14 February 1780.
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