Bolingbroke, Henry St. John, Viscount, 1678-1751

Henry St. John Bolingbroke was born in Battersea in 1678. He was educated at Eton and Oxford. He married the daughter of Sir Henry Winchcomb. After entering parliament in 1701, he devoted himself to politics, joined the Tory party, and soon made himself prominent as an orator. In 1710, he was made Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. In 1712, he was called to the House of Lords by the title of Viscount Bolingbroke. In 1724 he returned to England, but after being blocked from a political future there, he returned to France in 1735. During this time he wrote letters attacking the Christian religion. He died on October 1, 1751, after a long illness.

From the description of Letters signed from Henry Saint John Bolingbroke, 1st Viscount, 1713-1714. (Florida State University). WorldCat record id: 50656025