Howard Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 January 1837 Whatley, Somerset, England |
| Died | 21 September 1931 (aged 94) Aspley Guise, England |
| Education | St John's College, Cambridge (BA, 1860; MA, 1863) |
| Occupation | Humanitarianism and vegetarianism activist, writer |
Notable work | The Ethics of Diet (1883) |
| Spouse(s) | 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, and the author of The Ethics of Diet, a history of vegetarianism.
Williams was a born in 1837, in Whatley, Somerset.[1] He was the son of an Anglican minister[2] and the older brother of Henry John Williams.[3][4] He was home educated,[1] then went on to study history at St John's College, Cambridge;[2] 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 Europe, 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".[2][6] He remained on the board for several years.[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.[2]
Williams died in Aspley Guise, in 1931.[1]
