TOOKE, John Horne, English politician, born in Westminster, England, 25 June, 1736; died in Wimbledon, England, 18 March, 1812. He changed his name from Horne to take an estate that was bequeathed him by William Tooke in 1782. He was a minister of the established church, a follower of John Wilkes, and in 1768 a founder of the Society for the support of the bill of rights. He bitterly opposed the coercion of the American colonies, and, after the battles of Lexington and Concord, advertised for a subscription for " the widows and orphans of the American soldiers who were murdered by the king's troops." The ministry prosecuted him for libel, and he was tried at Guilford hall in July, 1777. He conducted his own defence, that he might personally attack the government, and was condemned to one year's imprisonment, and to pay a line of £200. While in jail he published his celebrated " Letter to Mr. Dunning," in which he critically explained the case of the King vs. Lawley, which had been used as a precedent against himself on his trial. He served in parliament in 1801-'2, and was an important factor in the Liberal party. His numerous publications are included in "Memoirs of John Horne Tooke, together with his valuable Speeches and Writings, by John A. Graham (New York, 1828). See " Memoirs of John Home Tooke, with Original Documents," by Alexander Stephens (2 vols., 1813).