Philosopher. John Locke became one of the greatest thinkers of the 17th century and his principles later formed the cornerstone of the United States Constitution as well as the European Enlightenment period. He was the son of a solicitor and a small landowner, who fought on the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War. Afforded an excellent education, he was educated at Westminster school and became a student at Christ Church at Oxford, receiving his B.A. in February of 1656, qualified as a Master of Arts, and was elected a Senior Student of Christ Church College. Staying at Christ Church, Locke was elected Lecturer in Greek in December of 1660 and was elected Lecturer in Rhetoric in 1663 before becoming a physician. Many of his colleagues were scientists of this era, yet he found politics very interesting. The English monarch was restored in 1660. The same year, he composed "Two Tracts on Government," which was published for the first time in 1967. By 1668 Locke had become a fellow of the Royal Society. In 1669, he helped to draft "The Fundamental Constitutions for the Government of Carolina." For political reasons after losing favor with Charles II, he left England for France, staying from 1675 to 1679 and introduced to French thinkers. Along with his colleagues, he was involved in the crises between the English government rejecting those belonging to the Catholic Church. In September of 1683, he left England again for political reasons, as James II, a Catholic, was on the throne, and going to Holland and staying for five years. His most famous work, "Essay Concerning Human Understanding" in 1690, was the first and most complete survey of philosophy in the English world. He is also famous for calling for the separation of Church and State in his "Letter Concerning Toleration." As his health declined in London, he went to the country for fresh air for his chronic lung disease, where after fourteen years, he died. Although buried at All Saints Churchyard Cemetery, he has a monument at Christ Church at Oxford. Locke is often recognized as the founder of British Empiricism and laid the foundation for much of English-language philosophy in the 18th and early 19th centuries.