Samuel Wilberforce

Who was Samuel Wilberforce?

Samuel Wilberforce was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his day. The nickname derives from a comment by Benjamin Disraeli that the bishop's manner was "unctuous, oleaginous, saponaceous". He is probably best remembered today for his opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution — most notably at a famous debate in 1860 during which he is said to have asked Thomas Henry Huxley whether it was through his grandfather or his grandmother that he claimed his descent from a monkey, receiving the answer that "[he] would not be ashamed to have a monkey for [his] ancestor, but [he] would be ashamed to be connected with a man who used his great gifts to obscure the truth."