William Blackstone (1723–80) was one of the most famous legal philosophers of the Western world. He was a British judge, professor, author, and politician. He is best known for his four-volume treatise Commentaries on the Laws of England, which is a classic work on the common law.

William Blackstone was born in London to Charles Blackstone, a silk merchant, and Mary Blackstone nee Bigg, the sister of a surgeon, five months after the death of his father. Blackstone had three brothers, one who died before reaching adulthood; the other two ...

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