GEMMS IDGEMMS-PERSON-003423
NameJohn Thurloe
TitleMr.
Gendermale
Denomination
Livedb. ca. 1616-06-12 - d. 1668-02-21 (old)
Linked Manuscriptsmanuscript owner - State Papers of John Thurloe: Add MS 4158
Linked Sermons
Linked Reports
Source of DataHannah Wood
Biographical Sources ConsultedODNB
Other NoteJohn Thurloe was baptized on 12 June 1616 (exact birthdate unknown). As a young man he entered the service of lawyer and politician Oliver St. John, who sponsored him through Furnival's Inn. Thurloe acted as a legal agent for St. John from 1637, also serving as a trustee for Lady Joan Barrington, Oliver Cromwell's aunt, in the 1630s. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1646 and continued his relationship with the Cromwell family, acting as one of Richard Cromwell's sureties at Lincoln's Inn the following year. Through the early 1650s Thurloe served Oliver Cromwell in various capacities: he appeared on his behalf at the admiralty court in 1650, delivered a petition to recover his Monmouthshire rents in 1651, and acted a trustee for his late son-in-law Henry Ireton's estates in 1652. Thurloe accompanied St. John on a trip to the Netherlands on behalf of the English republic in 1651, from which he gained a reputation for diplomacy and reliability that would launch his career. He was appointed secretary to the council of state in March 1652, took over as clerk to the committee of foreign affairs that December, and was given direction of the intelligence service in July 1653. He was also named a governor of the Charterhouse in 1657 and chancellor of Glasgow University in 1658. Thurloe exerted substantial influence in foreign affairs and played a crucial role in domestic intelligence; his import increased during Cromwell's second parliament, when he was frequently called upon to set up government policy. After Cromwell's death Thurloe served as Richard Cromwell's advisor; even as his political clout began to fade, he continued to work towards Richard Cromwell's restoration and the idea of a limited protectorate. He eventually retired from politics and split his time between Lincoln's Inn and Great Milton. In 1661 he was removed as a governor of the Charterhouse, and over the course of the next decade his health declined. He died in 1668 and was buried in Lincoln's Inn Chapel, survived by his second wife.
GEMMS record createdMay 25, 2021
GEMMS record last editedMay 26, 2021