William Molyneux

William Molyneux FRS (17 April 1656 – 11 October 1698) was an Irish natural philosopher and writer on politics.

He was born in Dublin to Samuel Molyneux (1616–1693), lawyer and landowner (whose grandfather had come to Dublin from Calais), and his wife, Anne, née Dowdall. The second of five children, William Molyneux came from a relatively prosperous Anglican background. He was close to his brother Thomas, with whom he later shared philosophical interests. In 1671 Molyneux started at Trinity College, Dublin where he became an avid reader of the leading figures of the Scientific Revolution. After attaining a Bachelor of Arts there, Molyneux was sent to study law in the Middle Temple, London from 1675–8. In 1678 he married Lucy Domville (?–1691), the youngest daughter of Sir Wiliam Domville the Attorney-General for Ireland. His wife became ill, which led to blindness, after their marriage and died young. Of their 3 children, only Samuel Molyneux (1689–1728) lived past childhood. Samuel went on to become an astronomer and politician who worked with his father on various scientific endeavors.