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Author: Garrison, William Lloyd

Biography:

Garrison, William Lloyd (1805-79: ANBO)

The son of Abijah and Frances (Lloyd) Garrison, he was born in Newburyport MA and in due course apprenticed to the owner of the Newburyport Herald, the newspaper that gave him his start in journalism. His crusading editorial stance, initially in favour of temperance and in opposition to slavery, meant that he was always a controversial figure, and as time passed and his views became radically egalitarian, feminist, and pacifist as well, he made many enemies. However, his strong principles also attracted supporters. With the Boston Liberator, especially, as a platform, he drew adherents to the doctrine of immediate emancipation. He was one of the founders of the influential New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1832 and of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. In 1834, he married Helen Benson; the couple had seven children, of whom five survived their parents. Most of his publications were political pamphlets and addresses, but besides the collection of anti-slavery hymns that he edited in 1834, there was also another volume of original poetry, Sonnets and Other Poems, in 1843. (ANBO 1 Jan. 2018)

 

Books written (1):