Publisher's Synopsis
A biography of Thomas Wharton, this work goes to considerable lengths in examining his character, which has invited reams of critical comment. His vices - drinking, womanizing, cursing, duelling, and political corruption, all fully documented - were all, by the sheer force of his personality, somehow turned to virtues, and even to political advantage. He was a controversial but effective politician of the late-17th and early-18th centuries. Two chapters and parts of others are dedicated to his preeminent position among England's electioneers. Much of this information is new, gathered with the help of the History of Parliament Trust in London. Finally, Wharton is compared with other members of England's political elite, including William III, Queen Anne, Godolphin, Marlborough, Harley, and the members of the Whig Junto.
