Born: 20 May 1806 · Died: 8 May 1873 · Age at death: 66
How old was John Stuart Mill when he died?
John Stuart Mill died aged 66. He was born on 20 May 1806 and died on 8 May 1873.
English philosopher of On Liberty and Utilitarianism who campaigned in Parliament for women's right to vote
Did you know?In the mid-nineteenth century, he became the first person in the British Parliament to officially call for women to have the vote.
Quick facts
Date of birth20 May 1806
Date of death8 May 1873
Age at death66
Cause of deathErysipelas
NationalityBritish
BirthplaceLondon Borough of Islington, United Kingdom
Occupationphilosopher, economist, politician
Editor's Take:
John Stuart Mill was one of the most important liberal thinkers of the 19th century. His father educated him intensely at home; he learned Greek at three. The strain led to a breakdown in his twenties, from which poetry helped him recover. His essay On Liberty argues that people should be free to do as they wish unless they harm others. He developed utilitarianism, the idea of the greatest happiness for the greatest number. As an MP he called for votes for women. He wrote The Subjection of Women with ideas shared with Harriet Taylor.
Key Milestones
1843: A System of Logic – first major work
1848: Political Economy – textbook
1859: On Liberty – famous essay
1863: Utilitarianism – essay
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, and politician. He was a paradigmatic philosopher of liberalism and has been described as "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century" by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
