# Question: Without looking him up, do you know who this person is? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667 "2010-06-18T13:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/81 "2010-06-19T17:03:59Z")
Yep, I’ve heard of him, and even looked into his _Letters_. But the only quote I could name is the one about sex. 42 y.o., American, AB in English Lit. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/82 "2010-06-20T03:34:46Z")
I’ve heard of Chesterfield . . . but aside from the furniture and the jacket and the cigarettes, know nothing about him. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/83 "2010-06-20T08:13:01Z")
I know a Chesterton, but not a Chesterfield. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/84 "2010-06-20T08:27:20Z")
My immediate response was that he was a politician but that was probably an obvious deduction because I can’t recall where I heard or read anything about him. I had no idea he had written anything of note and the quotes are a mystery to me. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/85 "2010-06-20T09:24:41Z")
He’s from the 18th century and wrote a book of advice for young gentlemen which is still read and quoted today… but I wouldn’t say he’s mainstream. Edited to add that I was prettty close but forgot the letters were written to his son and godson ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/86 "2010-06-20T20:51:46Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I’ve written three books about him and his place in Western Civilization, and I’m appalled that his name is not remembered along with Chamberlain and Churchill., too, only know him in the “cultural literacy” sense mentioned above.[/size] I’d think he’d be remembered more _between_ Chamberlain and Churchill 😃 Anyway, I’d heard the name, but knew nothing at all about him, so certainly wouldn’t have recognized the quotes. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/87 "2010-06-20T20:54:46Z")
I only knew him as the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and only then because my sister did a project on the Phoenix Park that I helped with. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/88 "2010-06-20T23:22:53Z")
I heard of him when we studied one of his letters to his son in an English class in cégep. Beyond that, nada. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/89 "2010-06-20T23:38:25Z")
I knew him ONLY because Chesterfield sponsored old time radio shows. I am a big fan of OTR and I looked up the cigarettes and got the information from Wikipedia, through links. Had I not been a fan of OTR, I wouldn’t have known ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/90 "2010-06-21T06:46:06Z")
I had only heard of the name “Chesterfield” and if pressed would have said it had something to do with furniture. I didn’t know anything about him, nor did I even recognize the quotes as having even heard them in any context before. Disclaimer: I’m an American. Maybe it’s a UK thing. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/91 "2010-06-21T12:32:40Z")
Many thanks to all who contributed. The author, by the way, is American, so I can’t say it’s a UK thing. I didn’t post info on the book – my home computer’s been down. But it’s now up again. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/92 "2010-06-21T13:05:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I didn’t post info on the book – my home computer’s been down. But it’s now up again. Hey … what was that Latin quote after all? ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/93 "2010-06-21T14:24:27Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > The name rang a bell for me but I certainly wouldn’t have remembered who he was, let alone anything “famous” he’d said. What he said. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667/94 "2010-06-21T16:24:33Z")
Your friend has a delusional sense of his own mainstreamness. Never heard of the guy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-without-looking-him-up-do-you-know-who-this-person-is/543667.md?page=4)