George Stephen (abolitionist)

Portrait of George Stephen [ca. 1861-ca. 1875] (State Library Victoria)

Sir George Stephen QC (1794 – 20 June 1879) was a British solicitor, barrister, author and radical anti-slavery proponent.[1] He was the leader of the Agency Society, a ginger group of the Anti-Slavery Society. He advocated for immediate rather than gradual emancipation and adopted more agitating campaigning tactics.[2]

While he played a crucial role in the abolition of slavery, he was known to be quarrelsome and short-tempered. He became involved in disputes that damaged his career.[3]

  1. ^ Mennell, Philip (1892). "Stephen, Sir George" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.
  2. ^ Taylor, Michael (2021). The interest. London: Vintage. ISBN 978-1-5291-1098-2.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NDB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).