Sir George Williams (11 October 1821 – 6 November 1905) was an English philanthropist, businessman and founder of the
Young Men's Christian Association
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, original ...
(YMCA).
The oldest and largest youth charity in the world, its aim is to support young people to belong, contribute and thrive in their communities.
Williams was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
by
Queen Victoria in her
1894 Birthday Honours. He died in 1905 and is buried in
St Paul's Cathedral.
He is the great-great-great-grandfather of former
British Prime Minister
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern p ...
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as Fo ...
.
Early life and education
Williams was born on a farm in
Dulverton, Somerset, England, as the youngest of seven surviving sons of Amos Williams and Elizabeth Vickery. He was baptized into the
Church of England. He came from several generations of farmers in
Somerset
Somerset ( , ; Archaism, archaically Somersetshire , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the so ...
, and attended Gloyn's in
Tiverton, Devon
Tiverton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, and the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid Devon district. The population in 2019 was 20,587.
History Early history
The town's name is conjectured to derive from "Twy-for ...
until he was age 13, when he began working on his family farm.
As a young man, he described himself as a "careless, thoughtless, godless, swearing young fellow". For unknown reasons, his family sent him to
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alo ...
to be an apprentice at Henry William Holmes'
draper shop. In 1837, Williams converted from
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
to
Congregationalism
Congregationalist polity, or congregational polity, often known as congregationalism, is a system of ecclesiastical polity in which every local church (congregation) is independent, ecclesiastically sovereign, or "autonomous". Its first articulat ...
. He went to the Zion Congregational Church and became an involved member.
Works
In 1841, he went to
London and worked as an apprentice at Hitchcock & Rogers, a
draper's shop and became a member of the
King's Weigh House
The King's Weigh House was the name of a Congregational church congregation in London. Its Victorian church building in Mayfair is now the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.
History
A building called the "King's Weyhows ...
Congregational Church
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs i ...
, using his time for evangelisation. After three years, in 1844, Williams was promoted to department manager. He married the owner George Hitchcock's daughter, Helen Jane Maunder Hitchcock in 1853, and was taken into partnership at the drapers, renaming to George Hitchcock, Williams & Co. When Hitchcock died in 1863, Williams became the sole owner of the firm.
Hitchcock and Williams had 7 children, his son Albert, a solicitor would go on to marry the granddaughter of
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook (22 November 1808 – 18 July 1892) was an English businessman. He is best known for founding the travel agency Thomas Cook & Son. He was also one of the initial developers of the "package tour" including travel, accommodation ...
. Williams nephew John Williams married the only child of his lifelong London friend, Matthew Hodder, founder of British publisher
Hodder & Stoughton.
In 1868, Williams offered to contribute towards the election expenses of
Charles Reed (British politician) Charles Reed may refer to:
*Charles Reed (architect) (1814–1859), (also known as Charles Verelst), English architect
* Charles Reed (British politician) (1819–1881), British politician; Member of Parliament for Hackney and St Ives
*Charles Mann ...
.
When Williams died on 6 November 1905 at the Victoria and Albert Hotel,
Torquay
Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority, unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbourin ...
, England, he was president for societies including
Band of Hope
Hope UK is a United Kingdom Christian charity based in London, England which educates children and young people about drug and alcohol abuse. Local meetings started in 1847 and a formal organisation was established in 1855 with the name The Unite ...
,
London City Mission,
Railway Mission and
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
.
His funeral took place at
St Paul's Cathedral["Memorials of St Paul's Cathedral" Sinclair, W. p. 472: London; Chapman & Hall, Ltd; 1909.] on 14 November 1905, with 2,600 people in attendance
and is commemorated with a bust atop his family vault at
Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
(west).
Founding of YMCA
Appalled by the terrible conditions in London for young working men, on 6 June 1844 Williams gathered a group of 11 fellow drapers in the living quarters of Hitchcock & Rogers to create a place that would not tempt young men into sin.
They were James Smith (from W D Owen drapers), Christopher. W Smith, Norton Smith, Edward Valentine, Edward Beaumont, M Glasson, William Creese, Francis John Crockett, E Rogers, John Harvey and John C Symons.
The name,
Young Men's Christian Association
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, original ...
(
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
), was settled on at the suggestion of Christopher W Smith, a fellow draper at Hitchcock & Rogers. It promoted
Muscular Christianity. One of the earliest converts and contributors to the new association was George's employer, George Hitchcock, who was the organisation's first treasurer.
Honours
Williams was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
by
Queen Victoria in her
1894 Birthday Honours, YMCA's silver jubilee year, as well as receiving the
Freedom of the City of London
The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...
.
After his death in 1905, he was commemorated by a stained-glass window in the
nave of
Westminster Abbey. Sir George Williams is buried in
St Paul's Cathedral.
Sir George Williams University in
Montreal, which was founded by YMCA, was named in commemoration of Williams; it was later merged into
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
,
with its former campus retaining the name Sir George Williams Campus.
George Williams College, located on the shores of
Geneva Lake in
Wisconsin, USA, is a satellite of
Aurora University
Aurora University (AU) is a private university in Aurora, Illinois. In addition to its main campus and the Orchard Center in Aurora, AU offers programs online, at its George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, and at the Wood ...
, and is also named after Williams.
Williams House in
YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College
YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College (), abbreviated as YHKCC, is a secondary school located at Tung Chung, Lantau Island, Hong Kong operated under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) of the Education Bureau. It is the first secondary school spons ...
, which was founded by
YMCA of Hong Kong
YMCA of Hong Kong was established in 1901 as a charitable organization in Hong Kong, headquartered in Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is dedicated to the furtherance of justice, peace, hope and truth in the Hong Kong and international ...
, was named in commemoration of Williams.
References
Sources
*Binfield, Clyde ''George Williams and the Y.M.C.A.: a Study in Victorian Social Attitudes'' 1973 London, Heinemann
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, George
1821 births
1905 deaths
Burials at St Paul's Cathedral
Burials at Highgate Cemetery
People from Dulverton
English philanthropists
Knights Bachelor
19th-century British philanthropists
19th-century Congregationalists
English evangelists
English founders
YMCA leaders
pt:Associação Cristã de Moços#O fundador