Howard Williams | |
---|---|
Born |
Whatley, Mendip, England | 6 January 1837
Died | 21 September 1931
Aspley Guise, England | (aged 94)
Education | St John's College, Cambridge ( BA, 1860; MA, 1863) |
Occupation(s) | Activist, historian, writer |
Notable work | The Ethics of Diet (1883) |
Spouse |
Eliza Smith
(
m. 1860; died 1906) |
Family | Henry John Williams (brother) |
Howard Williams (6 January 1837 – 21 September 1931) was an English humanitarianism and vegetarianism activist, historian, and writer. He was noted for authoring The Ethics of Diet, a history of vegetarianism, which was influential on the Victorian vegetarian movement.
Williams was a born on 6 January 1837, in Whatley, Mendip, the fifth son of the Reverend Hamilton John Williams and Margaret Sophia; [1] one of his older brothers was the priest and animal rights and vegetarianism activist Henry John Williams. [2] [3] He was home educated, [1] then went on to study history at St John's College, Cambridge; [4] he earned his BA in 1860 and MA in 1863. Williams married Eliza Smith on 20 November 1860; [1] she died around 1906. [5]
Williams' first book was published in 1865, entitled The Superstitions of Witchcraft. Williams became a vegetarian in 1872, as well as an anti-vivisectionist; he published The Ethics of Diet, a history of vegetarianism, in 1883. [1]
Williams was the inspiration for and one of the founding members of the Humanitarian League, in 1891, which "opposed all avoidable suffering on any sentient being". [4] [6] He remained on the board for several years and authored the "Pioneers of humanity" section for the league's journal, which was later published as a popular pamphlet. [1] He also served as the Vice-President of the London Vegetarian Society [5] and was a board member of the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society. [4]
Williams died in Aspley Guise, on 21 September 1931. [1]