George William Alexander
Encyclopedia
George William Alexander (1802–1890) was an English
financier and philanthropist. He was the founding Treasurer of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839. The American
statesman Frederick Douglass
said that he "has spent more than an American fortune in promoting the anti-slavery cause ..."
. When he was aged fourteen his father died, and Alexander had to work hard to continue his education and assist his mother, Ann, who had taken on the leadership of the company.
The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was principally a Quaker society founded in the eighteenth century by Thomas Clarkson
. The slave trade had been abolished throughout the British Empire
in 1807. In August 1833 the British government passed the Slavery Abolition Act
, advocated by William Wilberforce
, which abolished slavery in the British Empire from August 1834, when some 800,000 people in the British empire became free.
There nevertheless remained a need for a society that could continue to campaign for anti-slavery worldwide, and the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society was accordingly founded in 1839. One of its first significant deeds was to organise the World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840:
"The Convention assembled in London at the Free-mason's Hall
, on Friday, 12th June. Our expectations, we confess, were high, and the reality did not disappooint them." A very large and detailed picture of the proceedings was commissioned that today is in the National Portrait Gallery. This very large picture shows Alexander as Treasurer of the new Society. The picture captures the meeting in 1840, but it was not complete until 1841. The new society's aim was "The universal extinction of slavery and the slave trade and the protection of the rights and interests of the enfranchised population in the British possessions and of all persons captured as slaves."
Alexander reported on his visits in 1839, with James Whitehorn, to Sweden
and the Netherlands
to discuss the conditions of slaves in the Dutch colonies
and in Suriname
. In Suriname, he reported, there were over 100,000 slaves with an annual attrition rate of twenty per cent. The convention prepared open letters of protest to the respective sovereigns.
Alexander lived in the Quaker community in Stoke Newington Church Street
, in a very well regarded group of houses known as Paradise Row. Here he was visited in 1850 by Alphonse de Lamartine
, and in 1853 by Harriet Beecher Stowe
. His and the society's interests were no longer confined to the British empire and as treasurer he appears to have given freely of his own money. The American freed slave and later abolitionist and statesman, Frederick Douglass
, wrote in 1855 after hearing Alexander give a speech in Britain, "George William Alexander ... has spent more than an American fortune in promoting the anti-slavery cause in different sections of the world." The Society's balance sheet in 1854 showed that Alexander was still treasurer and that income was £766 whilst expenditure was £856, with £321 "due to the treasurer".
He travelled on behalf of the society in an effort to encourage other countries to abolish slavery, visiting Spain, France, the Netherlands and Denmark. In 1846, Alexander attended another World convention in London. This time the subject was temperance.
His growing wealth enabled him to have his house rebuilt by 1870; the building later became known as Kennaway House.
Alexander's company is the longest surviving discount house in the UK and was still extant in 1995, as Alexanders Discount plc.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
financier and philanthropist. He was the founding Treasurer of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839. The American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
statesman Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
said that he "has spent more than an American fortune in promoting the anti-slavery cause ..."
Biography
Alexander was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. When he was aged fourteen his father died, and Alexander had to work hard to continue his education and assist his mother, Ann, who had taken on the leadership of the company.
The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was principally a Quaker society founded in the eighteenth century by Thomas Clarkson
Thomas Clarkson
Thomas Clarkson , was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade and helped achieve passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which ended British trade in slaves...
. The slave trade had been abolished throughout the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in 1807. In August 1833 the British government passed the Slavery Abolition Act
Slavery Abolition Act
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was an 1833 Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire...
, advocated by William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
, which abolished slavery in the British Empire from August 1834, when some 800,000 people in the British empire became free.
There nevertheless remained a need for a society that could continue to campaign for anti-slavery worldwide, and the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society was accordingly founded in 1839. One of its first significant deeds was to organise the World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840:
"The Convention assembled in London at the Free-mason's Hall
Freemasons' Hall, London
Freemasons' Hall in London is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and a meeting place for the Masonic Lodges in the London area. It is in Great Queen Street between Holborn and Covent Garden and has been a Masonic meeting place since 1775...
, on Friday, 12th June. Our expectations, we confess, were high, and the reality did not disappooint them." A very large and detailed picture of the proceedings was commissioned that today is in the National Portrait Gallery. This very large picture shows Alexander as Treasurer of the new Society. The picture captures the meeting in 1840, but it was not complete until 1841. The new society's aim was "The universal extinction of slavery and the slave trade and the protection of the rights and interests of the enfranchised population in the British possessions and of all persons captured as slaves."
Alexander reported on his visits in 1839, with James Whitehorn, to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to discuss the conditions of slaves in the Dutch colonies
Dutch Empire
The Dutch Empire consisted of the overseas territories controlled by the Dutch Republic and later, the modern Netherlands from the 17th to the 20th century. The Dutch followed Portugal and Spain in establishing an overseas colonial empire, but based on military conquest of already-existing...
and in Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
. In Suriname, he reported, there were over 100,000 slaves with an annual attrition rate of twenty per cent. The convention prepared open letters of protest to the respective sovereigns.
Alexander lived in the Quaker community in Stoke Newington Church Street
Stoke Newington Church Street
Stoke Newington Church Street is a road in north London of the borough of Hackney. The road links Green Lanes in the west to Stoke Newington High Street , in the east...
, in a very well regarded group of houses known as Paradise Row. Here he was visited in 1850 by Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine was a French writer, poet and politician who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic.-Career:...
, and in 1853 by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
. His and the society's interests were no longer confined to the British empire and as treasurer he appears to have given freely of his own money. The American freed slave and later abolitionist and statesman, Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
, wrote in 1855 after hearing Alexander give a speech in Britain, "George William Alexander ... has spent more than an American fortune in promoting the anti-slavery cause in different sections of the world." The Society's balance sheet in 1854 showed that Alexander was still treasurer and that income was £766 whilst expenditure was £856, with £321 "due to the treasurer".
He travelled on behalf of the society in an effort to encourage other countries to abolish slavery, visiting Spain, France, the Netherlands and Denmark. In 1846, Alexander attended another World convention in London. This time the subject was temperance.
His growing wealth enabled him to have his house rebuilt by 1870; the building later became known as Kennaway House.
Alexander's company is the longest surviving discount house in the UK and was still extant in 1995, as Alexanders Discount plc.
Sources
- Letters on the Slave-Trade, Slavery and Emancipation, originally published in 1842, but republished in 1969. ISBN 0837117305
- Sixty Years Against Slavery, published in 1900 by the Anti-Slavery Society, but credited to Alexander
- He is mentioned by name in Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair