Background
Tucker was born in London of a Somerset family, the son of a wealthy city merchant. In 1736 Tucker married Dorothy, the daughter of Edward Barker of East Betchworth, cursitor baron of the exchequer.
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Abraham Tucker
Edit ProfileEducation
In 1721, he entered Merton College, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner, and studied philosophy, mathematics, French, Italian and music He afterwards studied laws at the Inner Temple, but was never called to the Barometer
Career
He wrote The Light of Nature Pursued (7 vols, 1768-1778) under the name of Edward Search. In 1727 he bought Betchworth Castle, near Dorking, where he passed the remainder of his life. On her death in 1754, he occupied himself in collecting together all the letters that had passed between them, which, we are told, he transcribed twice over under the title of “The Picture of Artless Love.”
From this time onward, he occupied himself with the composition of his chief work, The Light of Nature Pursued, of which in 1763 he published a specimen under the title of “Free Will.” The strictures of a critic in the Monthly Review of July 1763 drew from him a pamphlet called Manitoba in Quest of Himself, by “Cuthbert Comment” (reprinted in Parr"s Metaphysical Tracts, 1837), “a defence of the individuality of the human mind or self.” In 1765 the first four volumes of his work were published.
The remaining three volumes appeared posthumously.
In this way he completed the later volumes, which were ready for publication when he died. He strongly influenced Paley and is thought to have had some influence on Malthus and his theories.
Politics
He took no part in politics, and wrote a pamphlet, “The Country Gentleman"s Advice to his Son on the Subject of Party Clubs” (1755), cautioning young men against its snares.
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Born
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Died
1774 (aged 69) -
Nationality
United Kingdom