Samuel Wilberforce
| Samuel Wilberforce | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Winchester | |
 |
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| Church | Church of England |
| See | Winchester |
| In office | 1870–1873 |
| Predecessor | Charles Sumner |
| Successor | Harold Browne |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1828 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1805 Clapham Common, London, England |
| Died | 19 July 1873 (aged 67) Dorking, Surrey, England |
| Previous post |
Bishop of Oxford Dean of Westminster |
Samuel Wilberforce FRS (7 September 1805 – 19 July 1873) was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his day. The nickname derives from a comment by Benjamin Disraeli that the bishop's manner was "unctuous, oleaginous, saponaceous". He is probably best remembered today for his opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution—most notably at a famous debate in 1860.
Wilberforce was born at Clapham Common, London. He was the son of William Wilberforce, a major campaigner against the slave trade and slavery and Barbara Spooner, and the younger brother of Robert Isaac Wilberforce. In 1823 he entered Oriel College, Oxford. In the United Debating Society, which afterwards developed into the Union, he distinguished himself as a zealous advocate of liberalism. The set of friends with whom he chiefly associated at Oxford—among them William Ewart Gladstone and Henry Manning—were sometimes named, on account of their exceptionally decorous conduct, the "Bethel Union"; but he was by no means averse to amusements, and specially delighted in hurdle jumping, nude running and hunting. He graduated in 1826, taking a first-class degree in mathematics and a second in classics.
He spent the summer and autumn of 1827 touring the continent. After his marriage on 11 June 1828 to Emily Sargent, daughter of John Sargent, he was in December ordained to the Church of England and appointed curate-in-charge at Checkendon, near Henley-on-Thames.
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