Profile Major Works Resources

Josiah Tucker, 1712-1799.

18th C. liberal clergyman, economist, social reformer and political activist. 

Josiah Tucker was born in Wales and educated at St. John's College, Oxford.  Ordained a clergymen, Josiah Tucker was appointed to parishes in Bristol.  His position in the bustling commercial town drew Tucker's attention to trade.  As Warburton would later remarked, when asked about the character of two clerics, Dr. Squire and Dr. Tucker, that the first (a notoriously corrupt cleric) made religion his commerce while the latter made commerce his religion.

Josiah Tucker was appointed the Dean of Gloucester in 1758.

Tucker is perhaps best known for his views on the relationship between Great Britain and its colonies. Tucker believed that Britain would do far better economically if it gave up its dreams of empire.  Arguing that English trade would not be injured by American independence, Tucker urged the British led the colonies go.   Unlike Edmund Burke, Tucker did not believe the American colonists were justified or had any relevance to the British at home.  Let the malcontents go, Tucker argued, Britain will be better off without them.  Although a latter-day Mercantilist, many of Tucker's economic arguments foreshadowed those of Adam Smith

Tucker's 1750 Brief Essay was "adapted" into French by Plumart d'Angeul, and Tucker's arguments proved to be immensely influential on French Enlightenment economists, notably Vincent de Gournay and François Quesnay.  Jacques Turgot translated two of Tucker's pieces and opened correspondence with Tucker during the 1770s. 

 Tucker was also active in promoting the naturalization of Huguenots and Jews.

 

  


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Major Works of Josiah Tucker

  • A Brief History of the Principles of Methodism, 1742 [bk]
  • Hospitals and Infirmaries, considered as schools of Christian education for the adult Poor; an as means conducive towards a national reformation of the common people, a sermon, 1746 [bk]
  • A Brief Essay on the Advantages and Disadvantages which respectively attend France and Great Britain with regard to Trade, with some proposals for removing the principles disadvantages of Great Britain, in a new method, 1749 [1750 2nd ed], [1753 3rd ed], [1756 4th ed] [1787 repr], [repr. in McCulloch, 1859, Scarce and Valuable Tracts on Commerce, p.309] [French trans, av]
  • An Impartial Enquiry into the Benefits and Damages arising to the Nation from the present very great Use of Low-priced Spirituous Liquors, 1751 [bk]
  • Reflections on the Expediency of a Law for the Naturalization of Foreign Protestants, in two parts, 1751 [bk]
  • The Elements of Commerce and Theory of Taxes, 1753
  • A Letter to a Friend Concerning Naturalizations, 1753 [bk]
  • A Second Letter to a Friend Concerning Naturalizations, 1753 [bk]
  • Reflections on the expediency of opening the trade to Turkey, 1753
  • Instructions for Travellers, 1758 [bk]
  • [Anon] The Case of Going to War, for the sake of procuring, enlarging, or securing of trade, considered in a new light, being a fragment of a great work, 1763 [bk]
  • An Apology for the Present Church of England, as by Law Established, 1772
  • Letters to the Rev. Dr. Kippis, occasioned by his treatise, entituled, A Vindication of the Protestant Dissenting Ministers, with regard to their late application to parliament, 1772 [bk]
  • Four Tracts, Together with Two Sermons, on Political and Commercial Subjects, 1774  [av, av] [lib]
  • A Brief and Dispassionate View of the difficulties attending the Trinitarian, Arian and Socinian Systems, 1774 [bk]
  • An Humble Address and Earnest Appeal to those respectable personages in Great-Britain and Ireland, who by their great and permanent interest in landed property, their liberal education, elevated rank, and enlarged views, are the ablest to judge and fittest to decide, whether a connection with, or a separation from the Continental Colonies of America, be most for the national advantage and the lasting benefit of these kingdoms. 1775 [2nd ed]
  • A Letter to Edmund Burke, Esq., Member of Parliament for the city of Bristol, and agent for the colony of New York, in answer to his printed speech, said to be spoken in the House of commons on the twenty-second of March, 1775, 1775 [bk]
  • A Review of Lord Vis. Clare's Conduct as Representative of Bristol, 1775 [bk]
  • The Respective Pleas and Arguments of the Mother Country and of the Colonies, distinctly set forth, and the impossibility of a compromise of differences or a mutual concession of rights, plainly demonstrated, with a prefatory epistle to the plenipotentiaries of the late congress at Philadelphia, 1775 [av]
  • The True Interest of Britain, set forth in regard to the Colonies, and the only means of living in peace and harmony with them, including five different plans, for effecting this desirable event, 1776 [bk]
  • A Series of Answers to certain popular objections, against separating from the rebellious colonies, and discarding them entirely, being the concluding tract of the Dean of Gloucester, on the subject of American affairs, 1776 [av]
  • Notes on Mr. Locke, 1778
  • A Treatise Concerning Civil Government, in three parts, 1781 [bk], [McM: pdf] [lib]
  • Cui Bono?: Or, an Inquiry, what benefits can arise either to the English or the Americans, the French, Spaniard or Dutch, from the greatest victories, or successes, in the present war? Being a series of letters, addressed to Monsieur Necker, late controller general of the finances of France, 1781 [bk, av]
  • Four Letters on important National Subjects, addressed to the Right Hon. Earl of Shelburne, His Majesty's First Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, 1783 [bk] [1783 2nd ed]
  • Reflections on the Present Matters of Dispute between Great Britain and Ireland, and on means of converting these articles into mutual benefits to both kingdoms, 1785 [av]
  • Arguments for and against an Union between Great Britain and Ireland considered, to which is prefixed a proposal on the same subject, 1798 [bk]
  • Union or Separation, written some years since by the Rev. Dr. Tucker, Dean of Gloucester, and now first published in this tract upon the same subject by the Rev. Dr. Clarke, 1799 [bk - reprint of 1785] [3rd ed]
  • The Collected works of Josiah Tucker.  v.1, v.2, v.3, v.4, v.5

 


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Resources on Josiah Tucker

  • The Scripture the Only Test, as well as the only rule of Christian Faith, maintained in a letter to the Rev. Dr. Tucker, by Anon, 1772 [bk]
  • A Letter to the Rev. Dr. Josiah Tucker, Dean of Gloucester, occasioned by his 'Apology for the present Church of England, as by law established &tc., wherein every material article is examined, by a Petitioning Clergyman, 1773 [bk]
  • A Letter to the Reverend Josiah Tucker, D.D. Dean of Glocester, in Answer to His Humble Address and Earnest Appeal, &c. by Samuel Estwick, 1776 [bk]
  • Thoughts on War, political, commercial, religious, of Josiah Tucker, William Law and Jonathan Swift, 1793 [bk]
  • "Tucker, Josiah"  in C. Coquelin and G.U. Guillaumin, editors, 1852, Dictionnaire de l'économie politique [1864 ed.]
  • "Tucker, Josiah" in L. Say and J. Chailley-Bert, editors, 1892, Nouveau Dictionnaire de l'économie politique
  • "Tucker, Josiah" in R.H. Inglis Palgrave, editor, 1894-1899, Dictionary of Political Economy [1918 ed.]
  • "Tucker, Josiah"  in Leslie Stephen & Stephen Lee, editor, 1885-1901 Dictionary of National Biography [1908-09 ed]
  • "Tucker, Josiah" in J. Conrad et al, (1891-94) Handwörterbuch der Staatswissenschaften [2nd ed, 1898-1901]
  • "Tucker, Josiah"  in 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  • "Josiah Tucker and His Writings: An Eighteenth Century Pamphleteer on America", by Paul Leicester Ford, 1894, JPE, p.330 [js: av]
  • Josiah Tucker, economist: a study in the history of economics. by W.E. Clark, 1903 [bk, av]
  • Josiah Tucker at Virtual Biographies 
  • "A Primer on Technology Gap Theory and Empirics" (excerpt by Bruce Elmslie and Flavio Vieira) 
  • Tucker entry at Dictionary of Welsh Biography
  • Tucker page at McMaster
  • Tucker page at Liberty Fund
  • Wikipedia

 

 

 
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