Jean-Louis de Lolme
Genevan and English political theorist and writer on constitutional matters
Jean-Louis de Lolme (French: [ʒɑ̃ lwi də lɔlm]) or Delolme (1740 – 16 July 1806) was a Genevan and British political theorist and writer on constitutional matters, born in the then independent Republic of Geneva. As an adult he moved to England, and became a British subject. His most famous work was Constitution de l'Angleterre (The Constitution of England, 1771), which was subsequently published in English as well. He advocated for the English system as an Aristotelian mixed government.
He also praised the element of representative democracy in the constitution, and urged an extension of suffrage. The work influenced many of the framers of the United States Constitution.
Early life
De Lolme was born in the then independent Republic of Geneva in 1740. He pursued legal studies and began practicing law, but had to emigrate due to a pamphlet he authored titled "Examen de trois parts de droit" (Examination of Three Parts of Rights), which offended the local authorities. He took refuge in England, where he lived for several years on the meagre and precarious income derived from occasional contributions to various journals.
Writing career
During his protracted exile in England, De Lolme made a careful study of the English constitution, the results of which he published in his Constitution de l'Angleterre (The Constitution of England, Amsterdam, 1771), of which an enlarged and improved edition in English appeared in 1775, and was several times reprinted.
The public source identifies “Jean-Louis de Lolme” as genevan and English political theorist and writer on constitutional matters. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Jean-Louis, Lolme and Genevan.
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The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q116870. VIAF identifies the subject as 100182621. The Library of Congress control number is n79054604. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1740, 1806, 1771 and 1775.
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This entry incorporates text from “Jean-Louis de Lolme” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.