For his eldest son, a lawyer and Member of Parliament, see William Wilberforce (1798–1879).
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce by Karl Anton Hickel, c. 1794
Member of Parliament
In office 31 October 1780 – February 1825
Preceded by
David Hartley
Succeeded by
Arthur Gough-Calthorpe
Constituency
Kingston upon Hull (1780–1784)
Yorkshire (1784–1812)
Bramber (1812–1825)
Personal details
Born
(1759-08-24)24 August 1759 Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England
Died
29 July 1833(1833-07-29) (aged 73) Belgravia, London, England
Resting place
Westminster Abbey
Political party
Independent
Spouse
Barbara Spooner
(m. 1797)
Children
6, including Robert, Samuel and Henry
Alma mater
St John's College, Cambridge
Signature
Venerated in
Anglicanism
Feast
30 July
William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, a philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, and became an independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Yorkshire (1784–1812). In 1785, he underwent a conversion experience and became an Evangelical Anglican, which resulted in major changes to his lifestyle and a lifelong concern for reform.
In 1787, Wilberforce came into contact with Thomas Clarkson and a group of activists against the slave trade, including Granville Sharp, Hannah More and Charles Middleton. They persuaded Wilberforce to take on the cause of abolition, and he became a leading English abolitionist. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for 20 years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807.
Wilberforce was convinced of the importance of religion, morality and education. He championed causes and campaigns such as the Society for the Suppression of Vice, British missionary work in India, the creation of a free colony in Sierra Leone, the foundation of the Church Mission Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. His underlying conservatism led him to support politically and socially repressive legislation, and resulted in criticism that he was ignoring injustices at home while campaigning for the enslaved abroad.
In later years, Wilberforce supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery and continued his involvement after 1826, when he resigned from Parliament because of his failing health. That campaign led to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to his friend William Pitt the Younger.
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