Who among the following is credited with ending the system
of patronage with his “Letter to Lord Chesterfield”?

The correct option is Samuel Johnson.

In 18th-century England, writers and artists heavily relied on a system of patronage, where wealthy aristocrats financially supported them in exchange for dedication and political or social praise. Samuel Johnson sought the patronage of Philip Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, when he began compiling his monumental work, A Dictionary of the English Language, in 1747. Lord Chesterfield initially showed little interest, offering only a token sum of ten pounds and subsequently ignoring Johnson's efforts for years.

As the dictionary neared completion in 1755 and Chesterfield realized it would be a major success, he wrote two essays in The World praising the upcoming work, hoping to secure the dedication and have his name associated with the achievement.

In response, Samuel Johnson wrote a famous, biting, and dignified letter to Lord Chesterfield on February 7, 1755. In this letter, Johnson rejected Chesterfield's late attempts at patronage, describing a patron as "one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and, when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help." This "Letter to Lord Chesterfield" is widely celebrated in literary history as a declaration of independence for authors, marking a major turning point that helped end the patronage system and establish the financial independence of writers through the public marketplace.