All Biographies (A to Z)

Sieniuta Family

If your browser cannot read Polish characters, click here. Krzysztof Sieniuta, his nephew Piotr Sieniuta, and Piotr’s son, Aleksander Krzysztof Sieniuta, were Polish noblemen and

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Siennicki, Mikolaj

If your browser can read Polish characters, click here. Mikolaj Siennicki (ca. 1520-1581) was an outstanding politician and orator who played an instrumental role in

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Siennicki, Mikolaj

If your browser cannot read Polish characters, click here. Mikołaj Siennicki (ca. 1520-1581) was an outstanding politician and orator who played an instrumental role in

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Skinner, Dolphus

Dolphus Skinner (May 18, 1800-October 2, 1869), a Universalist minister and editor, served the Universalist church in Utica, New York for over 40 years. His

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Solly, Henry

Henry Solly (November 13, 1813-February 27, 1903), British Unitarian minister and social reformer, was one of the most remarkable social innovators of his time. He

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Soule, Caroline

Caroline Augusta White Soule (September 3, 1824-December 6, 1903), a novelist, poet, religious writer, editor, and minister, was one of the founders and the first

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Spear, Charles

Charles Spear (May 1, 1803-April 13, 1863) took up the idea of abolishing the death penalty at a time when the idea was widely regarded

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Spear, John Murray

John Murray Spear (September 16, 1804-October 5, 1887), made his career as a Universalist minister, abolitionist, activist against the death penalty, and advocate for women’s

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Spears, Robert

Robert Spears (September 25, 1825-February 25, 1899), a remarkably able and successful Unitarian minister, was the voice of Biblically-based British Unitarianism in his day. He

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Spoerl, Dorothy

Dorothy Tilden Spoerl (March 29, 1906-December 2, 1999) was a leading Universalist and Unitarian Universalist religious educator and parish minister from the time of her

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Stacy, Nathaniel

Nathaniel Stacy (December 2, 1778-April 7, 1868), was a pioneer Universalist preacher in central New York State and western Pennsylvania. His fortitude was legendary. For

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Stefansson, Vilhjalmur

Vilhjalmur Stefansson (November 3, 1879-August 26, 1962), an anthropologist, explorer, book collector, and writer, was an authority on polar regions. At one time a student

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Stevenson, Adlai Ewing

Adlai Ewing Stevenson (February 5, 1900-July 14, 1965), politician and diplomat, was twice the Democratic Party’s candidate for President of the United States. He brought

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Stout, Sir Robert

Sir Robert Stout (September 28, 1844-July 19, 1930), prominent New Zealand lawyer, politician, and educator, was his country’s Prime Minister and Chief Justice, and Chancellor

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Stowe, Emily

Emily Howard Jennings Stowe (May 1, 1831-April 30, 1903), a path-breaking Canadian woman physician and suffragist, led campaigns to provide women access to medical schools

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Streeter, Adams

Adams Streeter (December 31, 1735-September 2, 1786) was the first minister of the Universalist congregations in Oxford and Milford, Massachusetts, societies at the heart of

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Sunderland, Eliza

Eliza Jane Read Sunderland (April 19, 1839-March 3, 1910), the wife of a prominent Unitarian minister, was a church leader, innovative religious educator, prominent reformer,

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Sunderland, Jabez Thomas

Jabez Thomas Sunderland (February 11, 1842-August 13, 1936) was a Unitarian minister and reformer. Attempting to influence the direction of American Unitarian development, he unsuccessfully

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Taesler, Clemens

Clemens Taeslar (June 25, 1887 – February 23, 1969), a German, was a poet, Goethe scholar, popular lecturer, and minister who embraced a liberal theology.

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Taft, Alphonso

Alphonso Taft (November 5, 1810-May 21, 1891), one of Cincinnati’s most prominent citizens and among Ohio’s most highly regarded 19th-century attorneys and jurists, wrote an

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The Niemirycz Family

If your browser can read Polish characters, click here. Many members of Niemirycz family, living in the Palatinate of Kijów (Kiev), were prominent Arians (Unitarians),

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The Niemirycz Family

If your browser cannot read Polish characters, click here. Many members of Niemirycz family, living in the Palatinate of Kijów (Kiev), were prominent Arians (Unitarians),

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The Peabody Sisters

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody (May 16, 1804-January 3, 1894), Mary Tyler Peabody Mann (November 16, 1807-February 11, 1887), and Sophia Amelia Peabody Hawthorne (September 21, 1809-February

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The Russell Family

Lady Frances Russell, who became a Unitarian at 70, and her grandson, Bertrand Russell, Unitarian until age 15, were members of a British family long

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Thomas, Abel Charles

Abel Charles Thomas (July 11, 1807-September 27, 1880) was a Universalist evangelist, minister, journalist, and historian. Although he served the Universalist church in Philadelphia in

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Thomas, William

William Thomas (April 7, 1834-December 11, 1879) has been called “the founder of modern Unitarianism in Wales”. He was the minister at the Llwynrhydowen church,

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Thoreau, Henry David

Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817-May 6, 1862) was a person of many talents and interests: surveyor, pencil-maker, naturalist, lecturer, schoolteacher, poet, anti-slavery activist, and

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Tolmin, Harry

Harry Toulmin (April 7, 1766-November 11, 1823), a Unitarian minister in Britain, emigrated across the Atlantic in search of religious freedom and tolerance. In America

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Tuckerman, Joseph

Joseph Tuckerman (January 18, 1778-April 20, 1840) was a Unitarian minister widely known in his time for his labor of love with Boston’s poor and

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Turner, Edward

Edward Turner (July 28, 1776-January 24, 1853) ranked second only to Hosea Ballou among Universalist ministers of his generation. He was a denominational organizer, a

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Tuwhare, Hone

Hone Tuwhare (October, 1922-January 16, 2008) was one of the leading poets of the twentieth-century. Building on his Māori and Scottish background, his poetry reflected,

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van Schaick, John

John van Schaick, Jr. (November 18, 1873-May 16, 1949), Universalist parish and Social Gospel minister, was active in war relief in Europe during World War

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Caroline Evans Veatch

Veatch, Caroline

Caroline Evans Veatch (April 17, 1870-October 4, 1953) was a modest widow who, because she was homebound, was never able to attend the Unitarian society

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Vickery, Charles Nelson

Charles Nelson Vickery (February 10, 1920-March 26, 1972) was a Universalist and Unitarian Universalist minister, a social worker in the United States and post-World War

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Vidler, William

William Vidler (May 4, 1758-August 23, 1816), a British Universalist and Unitarian preacher and publisher, was a disciple and colleague of Elhanan Winchester. Together with Unitarian

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Visscher, Maurice B.

Maurice B. Visscher (August 25, 1901-May 1, 1983) was an internationally recognized physiologist and an outspoken and active citizen. His work as medical researcher and

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Vogt, Von Odgen

Von Ogden Vogt (February 25, 1879-August 2, 1964), or V. Ogden Vogt as he preferred, was minister at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago for

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Vonnegut, Kurt

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922-April 11, 2007) was an American novelist also known for short stories, essays, and plays. His writing often displays a

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Ward, Mary Augusta

Mary Augusta Arnold (Mrs Humphry Ward) (June 11, 1851-March 26, 1920) was an enormously successful novelist in her time, whose work is largely concerned with

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Wellbeloved, Charles

Charles Wellbeloved (1769-1858), a dissenting liberal minister and educator, greatly influenced British Unitarians. Noted for his wide scholarship and for his well-known defenses of liberal

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West, Robert Nelson

Robert Nelson West (January 28, 1929-September 27, 2017) was a Unitarian Universalist minister and the second president of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). During his

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West, Samuel

Samuel West (March 3, 1730-September 24, 1807), a liberal minister of the Massachusetts Standing Order, was a theological opponent of the doctrines of Jonathan Edwards

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White, Alfred Tredway

Alfred Tredway White (May 28, 1846-January 29, 1921), housing reformer and philanthropist, was known as “the great heart and mastermind of Brooklyn’s better self.” Forty

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White, Rufus Austin

Rufus Austin White (Nov. 24, 1857 to July 25, 1937) was a Chicago minister active in charity, child welfare, education, and community affairs. Constrained by

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Whitman, Bernard

Bernard Whitman (June 8, 1796-November 5, 1834), Unitarian minister, educator, apologist, and missionary, worked to spread Unitarianism beyond New England and the educated class. He

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Whittemore, Thomas

Thomas Whittemore (January 1, 1800-March 21, 1861) was the most influential Universalist editor of the nineteenth century. The Trumpet and Universalist Magazine, which he established

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Wieman, Henry Nelson

Henry Nelson Wieman (August 19, 1884-June 19, 1975) was a leading American religious philosopher. In early life Wieman was a Presbyterian. In his middle years,

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Wilbur, Earl Morse

Earl Morse Wilbur (April 26, 1866-January 8, 1956), a Unitarian minister and scholar, was an organizer, dean, and president of the Pacific Unitarian School for

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Wilkes, Eliza Tupper

Eliza Tupper Wilkes (October 8, 1844-February 5, 1917) was a circuit-riding preacher who started eleven Universalist and Unitarian churches in the American West. Among the

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Wilkins, John Bird

John Bird Wilkins (ca 1849-1938) was a minister, teacher, inventor, and newspaperman. For a year or two he was a Unitarian minister. Little is known

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Williams, Edward

Edward Williams (1747-1826) was one of the most influential and controversial figures Wales has produced. Raised Anglican, Williams as a young man enjoyed connections with

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Williams, Fannie Barrier

Fannie Barrier Williams (February 12, 1855-March 4, 1944) was an African American teacher, social activist, clubwoman, lecturer, and journalist who worked for social justice, civil

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Williams, Rhys

Rhys Williams (February 27, 1929-July 20, 2003), minister of the First Church in Boston for forty years, was a civic leader, active in the establishment

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Winchester, Elhanan

Elhanan Winchester (September 30, 1751-April 18, 1797), an outstanding revivalist, was the most wide-ranging and successful 18th century American Universalist evangelist. He founded the first

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Wise, Thomas E.

Thomas E. Wise (b.July 25, 1868) was the second African American Universalist minister. After serving with the first African American Universalist minister, Joseph Jordan, at the

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Wollstonecraft, Mary

Mary Wollstonecraft (April 27, 1759-September 10, 1797), a revolutionary advocate of equal rights for women, was an inspiration for both the nineteenth-century and twentieth-century women’s

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Wood, Frances Wayland

Frances Wayland Wood (February 13, 1903-August 22, 1975) was a lay professional who dedicated her life to liberal religious education. She helped to renovate Unitarian

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Wood, John

John E. Wood (July 30, 1910-June 15, 1980), Universalist and Unitarian Universalist minister and denominational official, played a significant part, first in preparing the way

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Woolley, Edward Mott

Edward Mott Woolley (October 31, 1803-May 4, 1853) was an itinerant, circuit-riding Universalist minister in New York and Michigan. He was the father of Lucia

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Worcester, Noah

Noah Worcester (November 25, 1758-October 31, 1837), entirely self-educated after the age of 15, studied and thought his own way to unitarian doctrine and also

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Workman, Joseph

Dr. Joseph Workman (May 26, 1805-April 15, 1894), known as the “Father of Canadian Psychiatry,” was in 1845 the principal founder of the First Unitarian

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Wyeth, N. C.

N. (Newell) C. (Convers) Wyeth (October 22, 1882-October 19, 1945), is one of the most celebrated illustrators in the history of art. Best known for

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Young, Joshua

Reverend Joshua Young (September 23, 1823- February 7, 1904), Unitarian minister who served five congregations throughout his lifetime, was best known as the clergyman who

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Ziegler, Albert Frederick

Albert Frederick Ziegler (March 29 1911-May 21, 1991), Universalist minister, theologian, and denominational official, played a significant part in redefining Universalism during the two decades

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