John Pym

John Pym MP, JP
John Pym, c. 1640
Committee of Safety
In office July 1642 – December 1643
Monarch	Charles I
Member of Parliament for Tavistock 1624; 1625; 1626; 1628; 1640
In office November 1640 – December 1643  †
Member of Parliament for Calne
In office 1621–1622
Receiver-General Exchequer, Glos., Hants and Wilts.
In office 1606–1639
Personal details
Born	(1584-05-20)20 May 1584 London, England
Died	8 December 1643(1643-12-08) (aged 59) London, England
Cause of death	Cancer
Resting place	Westminster Abbey (initially); St Margaret's (now)
Spouse	Anne Hooker or Hooke (1604–1620)
Children	7, including Charles
Parent(s)	Alexander Pym (1547–1585) Philippa Colles
Relatives	Francis Rous (stepbrother) Anthony Nicholl (nephew)
Alma mater	Pembroke College, Oxford
Occupation	Lawyer, politician and businessman

John Pym (20 May 1584 – 8 December 1643) was a politician and administrator from London, who played a major role in establishing what would become the modern English Parliamentary system. One of the Five Members whose attempted arrest in January 1642 was a major step in sparking the First English Civil War, his use of procedure to out manoeuvre opponents was unusual for the period. Though this meant he was respected by contemporaries rather than admired, in 1895 historian Goldwin Smith described him as "the greatest member of Parliament that ever lived".^[1]

Pym's father died when he was seven months old, and he was raised by his stepfather Sir Anthony Rous, from whom he inherited his Puritan views and deep opposition to the reforms of Archbishop William Laud. He was also a leading member of the Providence Island Company, which attempted to establish a Puritan colony in Central America.

Described as 'a true revolutionary', he led the opposition to arbitrary rule first under James I, then Charles I. His leadership in the early stages of the war was essential to the Parliamentarian cause, particularly his role in negotiating the Solemn League and Covenant with the Scots Covenanters; his death from cancer in December 1643 was considered a major blow.^[2]

Originally buried in Westminster Abbey,^[3] after the Stuart Restoration in 1660, his body was dumped in a pit at nearby St Margaret's, Westminster along with those of other Parliamentary leaders.^[4] Though his reputation later suffered in comparison to less complex figures like John Hampden and Viscount Falkland, he is now viewed as an astute politician and effective speaker. Many of his ideas were adopted by Patriots during the American Revolution and 19th-century American liberals.^[5]