Tucker [q. v.] One of the sons, Henry Carre Tucker, entered the Bengal civil service in 1831, was created a C.B., retired in 1861, and died in 1875.
Tucker wrote: 1. ‘Remarks on the Plans of Finance lately promulgated by the Court of Directors and by the Supreme Government of India,’ London, 1821, 8vo. 2. ‘A Review of the Financial Statement of the East India Company in 1824,’ London, 1825, 8vo. 3. ‘Tragedies: “Harold” and “Camoens,”’ London, 1835, 8vo.
[Memorials of Indian Government, being a selection from the papers of Henry St. George Tucker, ed. John W. Kaye, London, 1853; Kaye's Life and Correspondence of Henry St. George Tucker, London, 1854; Trial of Henry St. George Tucker, London, 1810.]
TUCKER, JOSIAH (1712–1799), economist and divine, was born at Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, in 1712. His father, a farmer, inherited a small estate near Aberystwyth, and thence sent his son to Ruthin school, Denbighshire. Tucker obtained an exhibition at St. John's College, Oxford. His father gave him his own horse to save him the long journey on foot. Tucker after a time dutifully returned the horse, and afterwards walked with his knapsack to college and back. He graduated B.A. in 1736, M.A. in 1739, and D.D. in 1755. In 1737 he became curate of St. Stephen's Church at Bristol, and two years later rector of All Saints' Church in the same city. He was appointed to a minor canonry in the cathedral, and came under the notice of Bishop Butler, to whom he was for a time domestic chaplain. It was to Tucker that Butler made his often-quoted remark [see under Butler, Joseph] about the possibility of nations going mad, like men. On the death of Alexander Stopford Catcott [q. v.] in 1749 Tucker was appointed by the chancellor to the rectory of St. Stephen's, worth about 50l. a year. At Bristol Tucker was naturally led to take a keen interest in matters of politics and trade. After some early tracts he first became generally known by pamphlets in favour of the measures for naturalising foreign protestants and Jews. His view was so unpopular that he was burnt in effigy at Bristol along with his pamphlets. Seward adds that he afterwards became so popular as to be drawn through the streets in his carriage. He had, at any rate, considerable political influence upon his parishioners. In 1754 Robert (afterwards earl) Nugent [q. v.] was elected for Bristol, and was warmly supported by Tucker. Nugent's influence probably contributed to his preferment. He was appointed to the third prebendal stall at Bristol on 28 Oct. 1756, and on 13 July 1758 to the deanery of Gloucester. Independently of his politics, Tucker had already a high reputation for his knowledge of trade, and in 1755 was requested by Thomas Hayter [q. v.], then bishop of Norwich and preceptor to the princes, to draw up a treatise called ‘Elements of Commerce’ for the instruction of the future king. A fragment was privately printed, but it was never completed. Tucker, as dean of Gloucester, saw something of Warburton, who became bishop in 1759, having previously been dean of Bristol. They did not like each other, and, according to Tucker (reported in Gent. Mag. 1799), the bishop said that the dean made a religion of his trade and a trade of his religion. According to another version, the person said to make a trade of his religion was the preferment-hunting Samuel Squire [q. v.], who succeeded Warburton as dean of Bristol (Nichols, Illustrations, ii. 55; cf. Watson, Warburton, p. 496). Anyhow, as Bishop Newton testifies, Tucker had ‘too little respect for his bishop,’ and the bishop speaks as contemptuously of Tucker as of most other people. Newton, however, adds that Tucker was an excellent dean, managing the estates well, living hospitably, and improving the deanery. In 1763 Tucker published a tract against ‘going to war for the sake of trade,’ which was translated by Turgot, who had previously translated one of the naturalisation pamphlets. He wrote in very complimentary terms to Tucker some years later, and sent him a copy of the ‘Réflexions sur la Formation des Richesses’ (Œuvres de Turgot, ii. 801–4). He mentions a visit of Tucker to Paris, but they were not personally acquainted.
Tucker next became conspicuous in the controversy which arose in 1771 as to the proposed abolition of clerical subscription to the thirty-nine articles. He defended the demands of the church of England against Kippis, but, as in other cases, took a line of his own, and admitted that some relaxation of the terms of subscription was desirable. His remarks upon the history of the controversy between Calvinists and Arminians seem to show that his claim to have studied theology as well as trade was not without foundation. He soon returned to economic questions, and became famous by his writings upon the American troubles. He maintained in various energetic pamphlets that a separation from the colonies was desirable. He held that the supposed advantage of the colonial trade to the mother country was a delusion. On the other
