Thomas folwell buxton biography of abraham

British philanthropist and mission theorist

Buxton was born in Castle, Hedinghan, Essex, England, and educated at Trinity College, Dublin.

The Anglican and Quaker traditions within his family both affected him, and following an evangelical conversion in 1813 he was much influenced by Josiah Pratt of the Church Missionary Society. From 1818 to 1837 he served as a member of Parliament, nominally as a Whig, in practice as an independent.

Thomas folwell buxton biography of abraham

He specialized in penal and prison reform, working to reduce the incidence of capital punishment, until in 1821 William Wilberforce asked him to take over leadership of the parliamentary campaign against slavery. Thereafter his immediate concern was for the emancipation of all slaves in the British dominions, eventually achieved by legislation in 1833.

He was created baronet in 1840.

Buxton’s concerns extended over the whole field of “’aborigines’ rights”- that is, colonial issues and the effect of white set