The oldest of nine children, John Stuart Mill was born on May 20, 1806 in north London. His father, James Mill, was a student of Jeremy Bentham, a radical utilitarian. John was accelerated through school and shared the company of many of his father's intellectual friends throughout his adolescence. In fact, young John was sent to France to live with Samuel Bentham, Jeremy's brother. It is often lamented that John lacked a childhood thanks to his father's intense propulsion of his son into the academic world. Soon after his education, John followed his father into a job at the East India Company where he remained in leadership positions until the company's demise in 1858.
Mill's early...
