Cecil Chesterton

Born in London on November 12, 1879, Cecil Edward Chesterton was an English journalist, political commentator, and the younger brother of G. K. Chesterton. He was educated at St Paul's School, trained for a time in surveying and estate work, and moved through several political and religious circles before settling into journalism as his main calling.

He wrote for The New Age and became especially known as editor of The New Witness from 1912 to 1916. Closely associated with Hilaire Belloc and the wider distributist movement, he developed a reputation as one of its most forceful and argumentative voices. His campaigning journalism during the Marconi scandal made him a prominent and controversial public figure.

In 1916 he enlisted in the British Army and served during World War I. He died in France on December 6, 1918, at the age of 39, after suffering the effects of exposure during military service. His final years, and the posthumous publication of A History of the United States, helped fix the image of a writer who brought both political passion and personal courage to his work.