William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce married Barbara Ann Spooner, an evangelical Christian on May 30, 1797. Throughout, their marriage, the couple remained loyal and supportive of each other. They were blessed with six children.

Wilberforce was weak as a child with poor eyesight. His bad health troubled him all through his life. During the last years, he became gravely ill. His eyesight was also failing.

In 1833, he suffered from a severe attack of influenza from which he never recovered. Just three days after the Bill for Abolition of Slavery was passed in the House of Commons, Wilberforce died on July 29, 1833.

William Wilberforce was born on August 24, 1759 as the only son of Robert Wilberforce and Elizabeth Bird. His father was a wealthy merchant. As a child, Wilberforce was mostly unwell and had poor eyesight.

He gained his early education from Hull Grammar School. Upon his father’s death in 1768, Wilberforce was put under the guardianship of his uncle and aunt under whose influence he leaned towards evangelicalism.

Returning to Hull in 1771, he resumed his studies. The religious fervour subsided as he engaged himself in social outings and led a hedonistic lifestyle. For higher studies he enrolled at St John’s College, Cambridge.

In 1781, he was awarded a B.A. degree and in 1788, he bagged his M.A. degree.

It was while at college that Wilberforce considered a career in politics. In 1780, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull.

As an MP, he served as a ‘no party man’. Wilberforce supported both the Tory and Whig government, mostly working in favour of the party in power. Due to the same, he was criticized by fellow politicians for his inconsistency.

Blessed with excellent oratory skills, he gained a reputation for himself as an influential speaker with a sharp sense of wit. He became a renowned name in the political circle, due to his eloquence and fluency.

During the 1784 general election, Wilberforce stood as the candidate for the county of Yorkshire. On April 6, 1784 he returned to the House of Commons as the MP for Yorkshire.

In 1785, Wilberforce underwent a spiritual conversion of sorts. He turned to evangelicalism and promised to dedicate his life to the service of God. Unlike other evangelists, he resolved to remain active socially and politically but with increased diligence and conscientiousness. He professed education and social reform.

Wilberforce magnum opus of his life came as the leader of the abolitionist movement who aimed at putting an end to slave trade in Britain. A humanitarian reformer, he spent the better part of his life working for the cause of abolition of slavery and slave trade. After decades of campaigning, Wilberforce found success in 1807 when Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was given a Royal Assent. His next success came just three days before his death when Abolition of the Slavery Bill was passed in the House of Commons.