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
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...
in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. His grandfather, Andreas, originally a
Bremen merchant, was one of the founders (on 1 January 1766) of the banking-house of Grote, Prescott & Company in
Threadneedle Street
Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.
History
The stree ...
, London (the name of Grote did not disappear from the firm until 1879). His father, another George, married (1793) Selina, daughter of
Henry Peckwell (1747–1787), minister of
Selina, Countess of Huntingdon
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon (24 August 1707 – 17 June 1791) was an English religious leader who played a prominent part in the religious revival of the 18th century and the Methodist movement in England and Wales. She founded an ...
's
chapel in Westminster, and his wife Bella Blosset (descended from a
Huguenot officer
Salomon Blosset de Loche who left the
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois.
In the 12th centu ...
on the revocation of the
Edict of Nantes), and had one daughter and ten sons, of whom George was the eldest.
Arthur Grote
Arthur Grote (29 November 1814 – 4 December 1886) was an English colonial administrator.
Life
He was born on 29 November 1814 at Beckenham in Kent, England. He was the son of George Grote (1760–1830), a London banker, and Selina Peckwell (17 ...
was a brother.
(
John Russell RA painted portraits of Henry Peckwell and Bella Blosset.)
Educated at first by his mother, George Grote was sent to
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
(1800–1804) and afterwards to
Charterhouse School (1804–1810), where he studied under Dr Raine in company with
Connop Thirlwall
Connop Thirlwall (11 January 1797 – 27 July 1875) was an English bishop (in Wales) and historian.
Early life
Thirlwall was born at Stepney, London, to Thomas and Susannah Thirlwall. His father was an Anglican priest who claimed descent from ...
,
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
and
Horace Waddington and
Henry Havelock. In spite of Grote's school successes, his father refused to send him to university and sent him to work at the bank. He spent all his spare time in the study of classics, history, metaphysics and political economy and in learning
German,
French and
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
. Driven by his mother's
Puritanism
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...
and his father's contempt for academic learning, he sought other friends, one of whom was
Charles Hay Cameron, who strengthened him in his love of
philosophy. Through another friend, George W. Norman, he met his wife,
Harriet Lewin (1792–1878), a writer and later the biographer of the artist
Ary Scheffer. After various difficulties the marriage took place on 5 March 1820, and was a happy one. His wife's nephew was the actor
William Terriss, the father of
Ellaline Terriss
Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Sh ...
.
His brother was the moral philosopher
John Grote
John Grote (5 May 1813, Beckenham – 21 August 1866, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire) was an English moral philosopher and Anglican clergyman.
Life and career
The son of a banker, John Grote was younger brother to the historian, philosopher and ...
.
Work and writing
Meanwhile, Grote had finally decided his philosophic and political attitude. In 1817 he came under the influence of
David Ricardo, and through him of
James Mill
James Mill (born James Milne; 6 April 1773 – 23 June 1836) was a Scottish historian, economist, political theorist, and philosopher. He is counted among the founders of the Ricardian school of economics. He also wrote ''The History of Brit ...
and
Jeremy Bentham. He settled in 1820 in a house attached to the bank in
Threadneedle Street
Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.
History
The stree ...
, where his only
child died a week after its birth. During Mrs Grote's convalescence at
Hampstead, he wrote his first published work, the "Statement of the Question of Parliamentary Reform" (1821), in reply to Sir
James Mackintosh's article in the ''
Edinburgh Review'', advocating
popular representation,
vote by ballot and short parliaments. In April 1822 he published in the ''
Morning Chronicle'' a letter against
George Canning's attack on
Lord John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and a ...
, and edited, or rather re-wrote, some discursive papers of Bentham, which he published under the title ''Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness of Mankind by Philip Beauchamp'' (1822). The book was published in the name of
Richard Carlile, then in gaol at
Dorchester. Though not a member of
John Stuart Mill's
Utilitarian Society (1822–1823), he took a great interest in a society for reading and discussion, which met from 1823 onwards in a room at the bank before business hours, twice a week.
Mrs Grote claimed to have first suggested the ''History of Greece'' in 1823; but the book was already in preparation in 1822. In April 1826 Grote published in ''
The Westminster Review
The ''Westminster Review'' was a quarterly British publication. Established in 1823 as the official organ of the Philosophical Radicals, it was published from 1824 to 1914. James Mill was one of the driving forces behind the liberal journal unti ...
'' a criticism of
William Mitford
William Mitford (10 February 1744 – 10 February 1827) was an English Member of Parliament and historian, best known for his ''The History of Greece'' (1784–1810).
Youth
William Mitford was born in Exbury, Hampshire, on 10 February 1744, i ...
's ''History of Greece'', which shows that his ideas were already in order. From 1826 to 1830 he was hard at work with
John Stuart Mill and
Henry Brougham in the organization of
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
. He was a member of the council which organized the faculties and the curriculum. In 1830, owing to a difference with Mill as to an appointment to one of the philosophical chairs (Grote objected to
John Hoppus), he resigned his position. He rejoined the council in 1849 and was appointed Treasurer in 1860, then President in 1868. In his will Grote left £6,000 as an endowment for the
Chair of Philosophy of Mind and Logic at University College London.
He went abroad in 1830, and spent some months in Paris with the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
leaders. Recalled by his father's death (6 July), he became manager of the bank, and took a leading position among the City Radicals. In 1831 he published his important ''Essentials of
Parliamentary Reform'' (an elaboration of his previous "Statement"), and, after refusing to stand as parliamentary candidate for the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
in 1831, changed his mind and was elected head of the poll, with three other Liberals, in December 1832. As an MP, Grote spent much of his time unsuccessfully advocating for the
secret ballot. After serving in three parliaments, he resigned in 1841, by which time his party ("the
Philosophical Radicals") had dwindled away.
During these years of active public life, his interest in
Greek history and philosophy had increased, and after a trip to Italy in 1842, he severed his connection with the bank and devoted himself to literature. In 1846 the first two volumes of the ''History'' appeared.
The remaining ten appeared between 1847 and the spring of 1856. In 1845, with
William Molesworth and
Raikes Currie, he gave money to
Auguste Comte, then in financial difficulties. The formation of the
Sonderbund (20 July 1847) led him to visit Switzerland and study for himself a condition of things in some sense analogous to that of the
ancient Greek states. This visit resulted in the publication in ''
The Spectator'' of seven weekly letters, collected in book form at the end of 1847 (see a letter to
de Tocqueville in Mrs Grote's reprint of the ''Seven Letters'', 1876). Grote was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1853.
In 1856, Grote began to prepare his works on
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
and
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
. ''Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates'' (3 vols.) appeared in 1865. That work made him known by some as "the greatest nineteenth-century Plato scholar". The work on Aristotle he did not complete. He had finished the ''
Organon
The ''Organon'' ( grc, Ὄργανον, meaning "instrument, tool, organ") is the standard collection of Aristotle's six works on logical analysis and dialectic. The name ''Organon'' was given by Aristotle's followers, the Peripatetics.
The six ...
'' and was about to deal with the
metaphysical and physical treatises when he died at his home in
Mayfair, London, and was buried in
Westminster Abbey. The house, No. 12
Savile Row
Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...
, now has a commemorative brown plaque on it.
He is said, in some estimations, to have been a man of strong character and self-control, unfailing courtesy and unswerving devotion to what he considered the best interests of the nation. Other historians, such as
Guy MacLean Rogers, consider he can reasonably be accused of
anti-clerical
Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...
bias. Grote's time on the Council at University College London was characterised by his contentious approach to two liberal
nonconformists:
John Hoppus and
James Martineau, both of whom found ways to work around his opposition. Grote's life has attracted a wide variety of biographical comment due to his strong views.
Principal works
* 1821 – ''Statement of the Question of Parliamentary Reform''
* 1822 – ''Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness, of Mankind'' (From Jeremy Bentham's notes)
* 1831 – ''Essentials of Parliamentary Reform''
* 1831 – ''Speech of George Grote, Esq. M.P., delivered April 25th, 1833, in the House of Commons, on moving for the introduction of the vote by ballot at elections''
* 1846–1856 – ''A History of Greece; from the Earliest Period to the Close of the Generation Contemporary with Alexander the Great'' (12 vols.)
* 1847 – ''Seven Letters on the Recent Politics of Switzerland''
* 1859 – ''Life, Teachings, and Death of Socrates. From Grote's History of Greece''
* 1860 – ''Plato's Doctrine Respecting the Rotation of the Earth, and Aristotle's Comment upon that Doctrine.''
* 1865 – ''Plato, and the Other Companions of Sokrates'' (3 vols.). 2nd edition, 1867; 3rd edition in 4 volumes with some re-organisation, 1885.
* 1868 – ''Review of the Work of Mr. John Stuart Mill Entitled 'Examination of Sir William Hamilton's philosophy
* 1872 – ''Poems, 1815–1823''
* 1872 – ''Aristotle'' (ed. by
Alexander Bain and
George Croom Robertson). A 2nd edition with some extra material but in one volume was published in 1880.
* 1873 – ''The Minor Works of George Grote''
* 1876 – ''Fragments on Ethical Subjects, a Selection from his Posthumous Papers''
Recognition
The
Grote prize for outstanding research in Greek History, funded by a legacy from
V. L. Ehrenberg and awarded annually by the
Institute of Classical Studies
The Institute of Classical Studies is a research institution associated with the University of London and a member of the School of Advanced Study. The institute is a national and international research institute in the languages, literature, his ...
at the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, is named after George Grote.
Grote Street, a principal business strip in the city of
Adelaide, South Australia was named for him.
Notes
References
* "Grote, George." ''British Authors of the Nineteenth Century''. H.C. Wilson Company, New York, 1936.
Attribution:
* This includes a detailed contemporaneous analysis of his career and works.
Further reading
* Calder, William M., ed. (1996). ''George Grote Reconsidered: A 200th Birthday Celebration''. Hildesheim: Weidmann. .
* Clarke, Martin L. (1962). ''George Grote: A Biography''. London: Athlone Press.
* Davies, James (1873)
"George Grote,"''The Contemporary Review'', Vol. 22, pp. 393–411.
* Demetriou, Kyriacos N. (1999). ''George Grote on Plato and Athenian Democracy, a Study in Classical Reception''. Frankfurt am Main; Berlin; Bern; Bruxelles; New York; Wien: Lang. ;
* Dow, Elizabeth Flagg (1956). "George Grote, Historian of Greece: Some Notes for the Centennial", ''The Classical Journal'', Vol. 51, No. 5, pp. 211–19.
* Hamburger, Joseph (1965). ''Intellectuals in Politics: John Stuart Mill and the Philosophical Radicals''. New Haven: Yale University Press.
* Johnson, W. (1994). "Edward Gibbon and George Grote: A Bicentenary in Common", ''Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London'', Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 221–26.
* Jones, Tom B. (1935). "George Grote and His History of Greece", ''The Classical Weekly'', Vol. 29, No. 8, pp. 59–61.
"Modern Historians,"Part II
''The British Controversialist'', Vol. 1, 1869, pp. 1–19, 161–86.
* Momigliano, Arnaldo (1952). ''George Grote and the Study of Greek History''. London: H.K. Lewis and Co., Ltd.
*
*
* Thomas, William (1979). "George Grote and the Ballot." In: ''The Philosophic Radicals: Nine Studies in Theory and Practice, 1817–1841.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.
* Tritle, Lawrence (1999). "The Athens of George Grote: Historiography and Philosophic Radicalism." In: ''Text and Tradition: Studies in Greek History and Historiography.'' Claremont, California: Regina Books.
* Whedbee, Karen E. (2004). "Reclaiming Rhetorical Democracy: George Grote's Defense of Cleon and the Athenian Demagogues", ''Rhetoric Society Quarterly'', Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 71–95.
* Whedbee, Karen E. (2005). "Authority and Critical Reason: George Grote's Defense of Democratic Justice." ''Victorians Institute Journal'', Vol. 33, pp. 97–115.
External links
*
*
Works by George Groteat
Hathi Trust
HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally ...
Library of George Grote held at Senate House Library, University of London*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grote, George
1794 births
1871 deaths
People from Beckenham
British historians
British classical scholars
Scholars of ancient Greek history
English people of German descent
Consequentialists
Utilitarians
People educated at Charterhouse School
People educated at Sevenoaks School
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Fellows of the Royal Society
Presidents of the Royal Historical Society
Burials at Westminster Abbey
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1832–1835
UK MPs 1835–1837
UK MPs 1837–1841
Vice-Chancellors of the University of London