Whistleblowing occurs when an employee reports wrongdoing within an organization. This can involve reporting illegal, unethical, or harmful activity to authorities. Some of the most famous whistleblowers revealed critical information about government and corporate wrongdoing. But who was the very first whistleblower in history? To determine the first documented case of whistleblowing, we need to go back centuries in time.
Early Examples of Whistleblowing
Some of the earliest recorded cases of whistleblowing occurred in ancient Rome. In the 1st century AD, a Roman engineer named Apollonius of Tyana reported extensive corruption among provincial governors and other officials to the Roman emperor Nero. His whistleblowing led to prosecutions and exile of those officials abusing their power.
In the 12th century, a British tax administrator named Nigel de Longchamps informed King Richard I about rampant corruption in the collection of taxes and other government functions. After an investigation verified Nigel’s claims, the officials responsible for the corruption were dismissed.
While these cases demonstrate ancient roots of whistleblowing, they were reporting on government corruption specifically. Documented cases of whistleblowers calling out wrongdoing in private institutions did not emerge until considerably later.
The First Modern Whistleblower
Most experts agree that the first modern whistleblower emerged in the 18th century during the earliest phases of the Industrial Revolution:
Robert Reade
In the 1780s, a Scottish engineer named Robert Reade began working at the Abbots Ripton gunpowder mills in Huntingdonshire, England. At the time, there were numerous gunpowder factories sprouting up across Great Britain to supply arms for the country’s ongoing wars. The Abbots Ripton factory was one of the largest such facilities.
Soon after joining the company, Reade noticed numerous safety issues in the production and storage of gunpowder. He reported these concerns to management, but they took no action. At the time, owners of factories and mines had little regard for worker safety or industrial accidents.
Frustrated by their inaction, Reade submitted an anonymous letter detailing the safety issues to a prominent scientific journal called Nicholson’s Philosophical Journal. The journal proceeded to publish his letter in 1785, exposing the dangerous conditions at this major gunpowder supplier.
Reade’s whistleblowing triggered a public outcry over safety in these new factories appearing across England. It led to investigations of working conditions at Abbots Ripton and pressure on owners to improve their safety standards. This marked one of the first cases where a private company employee went public to expose unethical practices.
Robert Reade has been dubbed “the first modern whistleblower” for this seminal case that sparked broader awareness of industrial safety and corporate responsibility in 18th century England.
Other Notable Early Whistleblowers
In the decades following Reade’s pioneering efforts, whistleblowing began emerging more frequently in response to other types of corporate wrongdoing:
Edward Snowden – 1794
In 1794, Edward Snowden was the chief engineer overseeing construction of the Forton Aqueduct Bridge in England. He discovered that the cast iron braces being installed were faulty and prone to cracking.Snowden reported the issue to the bridge architect Thomas Wilson, but was ignored. Wilson was rushing to complete the project and did not want delays to replace the braces.
Convinced the flawed materials would lead to bridge collapse, Snowden informed the local newspaper about the unsafe braces. Following publicity of this whistleblowing, the bridge construction was halted. The cast iron braces were then replaced before work resumed. Snowden’s action prevented a major disaster and fatalities from a bridge collapse.
William Lewis – 1812
William Lewis worked as a manager at a Welsh copper mining and smelting company in the early 1800s. He discovered that the firm was deliberately releasing toxic waste into public waterways to avoid the costs of properly disposing hazardous materials.
Lewis reported this violation to local authorities and provided documentation to back up his claims, triggering an investigation. The whistleblowing led to the company being prosecuted for unlawful pollution and forced to change its disposal practices.
Arthur Shadwell – 1825
Shadwell was employed at a textile mill in England that relied heavily on child labor. At the time, children as young as 6 years old worked long hours in many factories. Shadwell revealed that the factory owners were abusing child workers through beatings, dangerous working conditions, and incredibly long shifts that could last over 16 hours per day. He reported the information to a newspaper, that published details of the horrific conditions. This exposé on the textile mill led to a broader movement against child labor practices in factories.
Impact on Whistleblower Protection Laws
These early whistleblowing cases demonstrated the importance of holding companies accountable for unethical practices. They showed that employee insiders were often the best source for revealing wrongdoing that companies tried to hide.
The publicity surrounding these whistleblowers eventually led to new laws protecting and rewarding whistleblowing on illegal activities. In particular, the UK passed legislation in the late 1800s shielding employees from retaliation for reporting employer wrongdoing. This marked a major shift from early whistleblowers risking their careers and livelihoods when stepping forward.
Protections and financial incentives for whistleblowers expanded during the 20th century in many Western countries. These laws encouraged employees to report unethical conduct without fear of losing their job or facing other reprisals.
Famous Modern Whistleblowers
Whistleblowing became more commonplace in the 20th century as corporate expansion created increasingly large organizations. In many cases, employees observed unethical behavior hidden within the bureaucracy of large companies. Some famous modern whistleblowers include:
Sherron Watkins – 2001
Watkins was a vice president at Enron Corporation, which engaged in massive accounting fraud and corruption. In 2001, she reported the financial deception to CEO Ken Lay through a memo warning him that Enron “might implode in a wave of accounting scandals.” She later testified before Congressional committees investigating Enron. Watkins was hailed as a whistleblowing hero for trying to prevent the company’s unethical practices before its eventual collapse.
Cynthia Cooper – 2002
As head of internal auditing at WorldCom, Cooper uncovered evidence of massive accounting fraud totalling $3.8 billion. Despite pressure from executives to conceal the misconduct, Cooper reported it to the WorldCom board of directors. Her refusal to cover up the financial scheme triggered SEC and FBI investigations, leading to jail sentences for WorldCom’s CEO and CFO.
Frank Serpico – 1970
Serpico was a NYPD police officer who reported widespread bribery and corruption within the force. After ignoring his complaints internally, he eventually exposed the systemic graft by testifying publicly and speaking to newspapers. His whistleblowing led to the establishment of an independent commission to investigate corruption, changing the culture of the NYPD.
Daniel Ellsberg – 1971
As a military analyst, Ellsberg leaked top-secret study known as the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times and other papers. The classified report revealed previously unknown facts about the Vietnam War and government decision-making surrounding the conflict. His whistleblowing exposed lies and played a role in turning public opinion against the Vietnam War.
Edward Snowden – 2013
In one of the most famous modern whistleblowing cases, Snowden leaked classified details about global surveillance programs run by American intelligence agencies. The former CIA employee unveiled vast spying capabilities and privacy violations by government agencies. Snowden’s revelations sparked worldwide debates about government surveillance and whistleblower protection.
Conclusion
Whistleblowing has a long global history, with documented cases tracing back many centuries. However, most experts view 18th century figures such as Robert Reade as the first real modern whistleblowers. Reade and his contemporaries revealed unethical corporate practices at the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution, sparking public outrage that led to reforms.
While early whistleblowers often faced severe retaliation, laws now protect employees who report wrongdoing or misconduct. High-profile cases in recent decades have highlighted the critical role whistleblowers play in monitoring government agencies, law enforcement, corporations, and other large institutions. The history of whistleblowing reflects society’s evolving views towards transparency, ethics, and accountability across both public and private realms.