Search hundreds of concise biographies of notable people and events in Unitarian, Universalist and UU history.
A project of the Unitarian Universalist Studies Network (UUSN)
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Welcome to the New DUUB!
Launched in 2000, the Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography, affectionately known as “The DUUB,” is a public web resource that contains hundreds of biographies of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist (collectively referred to as U/U) leaders and individuals. Articles have been contributed by a number of historians and researchers, many recognized experts on their subjects. The theme in many of these biographies is the relationship between personal religious conviction and achievement in the larger world.
I am honored to serve as the new editor of the DUUB and to launch this updated website with the hope of making U/U history more accessible to a wider audience. Please note that we are continuing to migrate existing articles from the previous DUUB site to this new site. New information will be added weekly over the coming months. We are also soliciting new content as we strive for broader representation among our subjects and contributors, especially as it relates to occupation, geographic location, race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
Look around and check out our site! If you have questions, want to recommend inclusion of a particular biography, or want to submit an article yourself, please Contact Us.
Connie Simon, Editor
Featured Biographies
Rankin, David O.
David Oran Rankin (June 10, 1937–April 5, 2024) was one of the most eloquent and influential Unitarian Universalist ministers of the late 20th century, serving congregations in Watertown and New Bedford, Massachusetts; San Francisco, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rankin
Steiner, Richard Morrow
Richard Morrow Steiner (1901-1975) was senior minister of the First Unitarian Church in Portland from 1934 to 1965. An inspirational preacher, he helped rebuild the congregation after a decline during the Great Depression. As an advocate of the social gospel,
Barr, Annie Margaret
Margaret Barr (19 March 1899 – 11 August 1973), known as Annie Margaret Barr, was a British Unitarian minister who devoted her life to serving the indigenous Unitarian churches of Northeast India. Born in the village of Menston, in the
Dole, Charles Fletcher
For forty years, Charles Fletcher Dole (May 17, 1845- November 27, 1927) served what is now First Church (Unitarian) in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. A prolific author, Dole was both childhood pastor and mentor to Emily Balch Greene (1867-1961), founder of the
Stebbins, Horatio
Horatio Stebbins (August 8, 1821 – April 8, 1902) served as minister of the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco for thirty-five years, 1864 to 1899. Having struggled economically to gain a higher education, he finished Harvard College and Harvard