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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 the
independent Member of Parliament for
Yorkshire (1784–1812). In 1785, he underwent a
conversion experience and became an
evangelical Christian, resulting in major changes to his lifestyle and a lifelong concern for reform. In 1787, he came into contact with
Thomas Clarkson and a group of anti-slave-trade activists, including
Granville Sharp,
Hannah More and
Charles Middleton. They persuaded Wilberforce to take on the cause of abolition, and he soon became one of the leading English
abolitionists. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty-six years until the passage of the
Slave Trade Act 1807.
Wilberforce was convinced of the importance of religion, morality, and education. He championed causes and campaigns such as the
Society for 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.
