William Wilberforce was an English politician who became the voice of
the abolition movement in Parliament. He was a slightly built
man, about five foot three in height, and suffered from bouts of bad
health. He was born in Hull, into a rich merchant family. As a child, whilst living with his uncle in London, he was taken to hear John Newton
preach. It made a great impression on him but he returned home and soon
became part of fashionable society, attending the theatre and races,
where he watched his own horse run.
