John Ozell

Who was John Ozell?

John Ozell was an English translator and accountant who became an adversary to Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope.

He moved to London from the country at around the age of twenty and entered an accounting firm, where he was successful in managing the accounts of several large entities, including the City of London itself. He was a Whig and probably a dissenter who associated with the prominent figures of the whig establishment in the 18th century. He was particularly associated with Joseph Addison and the "little senate" that met at Button's Coffee House in Covent Garden.

He was financially well off, due to his accounting work. He died on 15 October 1743, a lifelong bachelor.