Soron minister who became Left State Councillor under Yeongjo; elder brother of Queen Hyosun; put to death in the Crown Prince Sado affair
| Life | 1702 ~ 1762 |
| Era | 조선 후기 |
| Clan | 풍양 조씨 |
Jo Jae-ho (1702-1762) was a late Joseon official of the Pungyang Jo clan, courtesy name Gyeongdae, art name Sonjae. He was a son of Jo Mun-myeong, nephew of Chief State Councillor Jo Hyeon-myeong and elder brother of the queen honored as Queen Hyosun. He passed the licentiate examination in 1729, was recommended in 1739 by Right State Councillor Song In-myeong to the Crown Prince's Tutorial Office, and passed the civil examination in 1744 while serving as magistrate of Hongsan.
He then served as Royal Secretary, Vice Minister of Personnel, governor of Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeongsang and Pyeongan provinces, governor of Gaeseong, Principal of Seonggyungwan and Minister of Personnel. His uncle Jo Hyeon-myeong is said to have repeatedly tried to slow his rapid promotion. He became Right State Councillor in 1754 and asked repeatedly to resign, but Yeongjo refused. A Soron, he was also disliked within his own camp for criticizing its moderate leaders.
In 1759 he was exiled to Imcheon for opposing a proposal to choose a new queen for Yeongjo, and his secret contact with Crown Prince Sado is said to have been used against him. In 1762 he came to Seoul trying to save the crown prince, but his words were treated as treason; he was confined at Dancheon, moved to Jongseong and put to death. In 1775 his daughter beat the petition drum to plead his innocence, and Yeongjo rehabilitated him.
After passing the examination in 1744 he rose rapidly, changing posts several times in a year. His uncle Jo Hyeon-myeong, mindful of opinion at court, repeatedly cautioned against it.
When Crown Prince Sado met his fate in 1762 he tried to save him and was executed. He was rehabilitated in 1775 after his daughter's plea; Nam Gyeong-yong and others implicated with him were restored only in 1790 under Jeongjo.
His daughter's petition at the drum in 1775 is well known. The independence activist Jo Dong-ho is described as a descendant of a collateral line of the family, with Jo Jae-ho as his seventh-generation collateral ancestor.