James Mill has suffered the unfortunate distinction of being overshadowed by both his philosophical mentor--the founder of utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham--and his own son, the philosopher John Stuart Mill. James Mill, however, distinguished himself as an historian, educational theorist, economist, political philosopher, psychologist, civil servant, and as perhaps the single most important popularizer of utilitarianism, extending Bentham's limited agenda of political and legal reform into a comprehensive, self-sufficient ethical system. Mill influenced Bentham to appreciate the role of economic factors in social life and political institutions and also turned him away from advocating rule by an enlightened aristocracy in favor of increasing democratic participation in government.

James Mill was born on 6 April 1773 in Northwater Bridge, Forfarshire, Scotland, to James Mill, a shoemaker, and Isabel Fenton Mill, a farmer's daughter with a forceful personality and social pretensions. Isabel Mill is thought to have changed the family name from the Scottish...