William Smith (abolitionist)
William Smith | |
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Benjamin Smith | |
| Relatives | Barbara Bodichon (granddaughter)
Benjamin Leigh Smith (grandson) Florence Nightingale (granddaughter) |
William Smith (22 September 1756 – 31 May 1835) was a leading independent British politician, sitting as
Early life
William Smith was born on 22 September 1756 at Clapham (then a village to the south of London), the only son of Samuel Smith by Martha, daughter of William Adams of London. Brought up by parents who worshipped at an Independent chapel, he was educated at the dissenting academy at Daventry until 1772, where he began to come under the influence of Unitarians. He went into the family grocery business and by 1777 had become a partner. Smith had a long career as a social and political reformer, joining the Society for Constitutional Information in 1782.
Election to parliament
In 1784 Smith was elected as one of the two
Unitarianism
William Smith held strong
Abolitionism
In June 1787, Smith was one of the first to campaign for the abolition of the slave trade, becoming a vocal advocate for the cause. In 1790 he supported William Wilberforce in the slave trade debate in April.[1] While he had been out of parliament he had given his support to Abolitionism by writing a pamphlet entitled A Letter to William Wilberforce (1807), in which he cogently and convincingly summarised the abolitionists' arguments for abolition. Once the trade had been halted, he turned his attention to freeing those who were already slaves. In 1823 with Zachary Macaulay he helped found the London Society for the Abolition of Slavery in our Colonies, thereby launching the next phase of the campaign to eradicate slavery.
French Revolution
In the beginning, at least, William Smith was sympathetic to the
Later life
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1806 as "a Gentleman well versed in various branches of Natural Knowledge".[2]
As an MP, Smith witnessed the assassination of prime minister Spencer Perceval who fell close by him. He immediately identified his body on sight of his face, having initially thought it was William Wilberforce who had been shot.[1]
Smith finally saw through parliament the repeal of the Test Acts in 1828. He died on 31 May 1835 in London, at the age of 78.[1]
Family
On 12 September 1781 Smith married Frances Coape (1758 – 1840), daughter of John and Hannah Coape, both Dissenters. They had five sons and five daughters.[3]
Of the sons:
- the eldest was Benjamin Smith, the Whig politician.[3] He fathered Barbara Bodichon, founder of Girton College, and the explorer Benjamin Leigh Smith.
- the second, William Adams Smith (1789–1870), was known as an activist.[4]
- Samuel (1794–1880), married Mary Shore.[5]
- Octavius (1796–1871), married Jane Cooke, and had eight children.[5][6]
- Frederick (1798–1882), married Mary Yates.[5]
Their daughter, Frances Smith (1789–1880), married
The Smiths lived near the family business, and moved into Eagle House on Clapham Common.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g M. H. Port / R. G. Thorne (1986). "SMITH, William (1756-1835), of Eagle House, Clapham Common, Surr. and Parndon, Essex.". In Thorne, R. G. (ed.). The House of Commons 1790-1820. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Library and archive catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 1 March 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25931. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ISBN 9780199211982.
- ^ ISBN 9780674270206.
- ISBN 9780521297974.
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1898). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 53. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
External links
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