Following college and a ten-year marriage, John Wilkes was elected as a member of Parliament from Aylesbury. A radical thinker, Wilkes frequently alienated other members of Parliament and the king of England. In 1762 Wilkes felt that the king's nomination of the Earl of Bute was not fit to be Prime Minister.

Wilkes knew John Stuart (the Earl of Bute) very well. As members of the notorious Hellfire Club the two had shared many things, possibly including Lady Mary Montagu Wortley, a poet and Stuart's mother-in-law. Stuart was quickly forced to resign, but Wilkes also paid a price for his outspokenness - he was forced into exile for four years.

On his return to London Wilkes decided to run for Parliament again. Although he won the election four times, the British government named his challenger the winner, throwing Wilkes into jail. Following his release two years later he served in a number of public positions, however he never returned to his former glory.

It is frequently stated that Wilkes was a strong supporter of the American cause. This is not true.