Early Life John Locke was born in Wrington, Somerset, England to Puritan parents. He attended Westminster School and then Christ Church, University of Oxford. It is at Oxford where he studied medicine and became a physician. There he met Lord Ashley, the future Earl of Shaftsbury, and became his personal physician, moving to London. Shaftsbury eventually became chancellor and with this Locke worked more and more with Shaftsbury's political and business matters.
Writings Lord Shaftsbury had a distinct influence on Locke. He was a founding member of the Whig party who believed in constitutional monarchism. His beliefs on government and rule greatly informed Locke's own thoughts and opinions which would come out in his writing. Letters Concerning Toleration (1689-1692)- Revealed his theories on religious tolerance.
Two Treatises of Government (1689)- Disclosed Locke's revolutionary ideas about the natural rights of man and the social contract. This work in particular had an impact in England and also began to stir up conversations and thoughts that would eventually lead to the American and French revolutions. Locke's controversial ideas got him kicked out of England in 1683. He was exiled to Holland. There he wrote, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, and published it on his return to England when the Whigs rose to power in 1688. It was called the Glorious Revolution and power was moved from the English throne to parliament. This shift made Locke a heroic figure in England. Later Life & Influence He published many works after returning to England and remained politically involved as he grew older. He passed away in Essex in 1704 at the age of 72. He never married or had any children.
His influence on Western thinking is phenomenal and can be seen from the French writer Voltaire to American founders Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. He is known today as the "Father of Classical Liberalism" and the founder of modern Western philosophy.