- John Locke FRS (/lɒk/; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the “father of liberalism”. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Sir Francis Bacon, Locke is equally important to social contract theory. His work greatly affected the development of epistemology and political philosophy. His writings influenced Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and many Scottish Enlightenment thinkers, as well as the American Revolutionaries. His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the United States Declaration of Independence. Internationally, Locke’s political-legal principles continue to have a profound influence on the theory and practice of limited representative government and the protection of basic rights and freedoms under the rule of law.
- John Thune (Wikipedia)
John Randolph Thune (/ˈθuːn/ THOON; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, he will become the Senate majority leader and Senate Republican leader in January 2025. Thune is in his fourth Senate term and is the Senate minority whip, a post he has held since 2021, and is the dean of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. He served three terms as the U.S. representative for South Dakota’s at-large congressional district from 1997 to 2003.