Jean-Louis de Lolme
| Jean-Louis de Lolme | |
|---|---|
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From Constitution de l'Angleterre (1789)
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| Born | 1740 Geneva |
| Died |
16 July 1806 (aged 66) Seewen, Canton of Schwyz |
| Occupation | Political theorist; writer on constitutional matters |
| Language | French |
| Nationality | Swiss and English |
| Notable works | Constitution de l'Angleterre (The Constitution of England, 1771) |
Jean-Louis de Lolme or Delolme (1740 – 16 July 1806) was a Swiss and British political theorist and writer on constitutional matters, born in the then semi-independent city of Geneva. As an adult he moved to England, and became a British subject. His most famous work was Constitution de l'Angleterre (The Constitution of England, 1771), which was subsequently published in English as well. In it, de Lolme advocated a constitutional form of government enshrining the principle that monarchy, and democracy should be balanced against each other. He also praised the element of representative democracy in the constitution, and urged an extension of suffrage. The work influenced many of the framers of the United States Constitution.
De Lolme was born in the then semi-independent city of Geneva in 1740. He studied for the bar, and had begun to practise law when he was obliged to emigrate on account of a pamphlet he wrote entitled Examen de trois parts de droit (Examination of Three Parts of Rights), which gave offence to the authorities of the town. He took refuge in England, where he lived for several years on the meagre and precarious income derived from occasional contributions to various journals.
During his protracted exile in England, De Lolme made a careful study of the English constitution, the results of which he published in his Constitution de l'Angleterre (The Constitution of England, Amsterdam, 1771), of which an enlarged and improved edition in English appeared in 1775, and was several times reprinted. The work excited much interest as containing many acute observations on the causes of the excellence of the English constitution as compared with those of other countries. However, it was termed by the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911) as "wanting in breadth of view, being written before the period when constitutional questions were treated in a scientific manner".
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