White's Professor of Moral Philosophy

Updated on Nov 25, 2023

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The White's Chair of Moral Philosophy was endowed in 1621 by Thomas White (c. 1550–1624), DD, Canon of Christ Church at the University of Oxford.

Under the original agreement, the Professorship was to receive a stipend of £100 per annum, along with other payments and emoluments. The Chair was not to be held for more than five years, or at the most ten years. In 1673, a practice began of electing one of the Proctors, usually the senior, to the office; in course of time the lectures were entirely dropped; and at length the Professorship was so far forgotten, that it was never mentioned in the Oxford Calendar before the year 1831, the practice having continued, with one exception, until February 1829.

The Professorship was established on a new footing by a statute approved by the Queen in Council in 1858. As a result of statutes made by the Commissioners of 1877, the Professorship is now attached with a Fellowship with Corpus Christi College.

Holders of the White's Professorship of Moral Philosophy

1621 William Price, MA, Student of Christ Church

1630 Thomas Ballow, MA, Student of Christ Church

1634 Edward Fulham, MA, Student of Christ Church

1638 George Gisbey, MA, Fellow of St. John’s College

1643 John Berkenhead, MA, Fellow of All Souls College

1648 Edward Copley, MA, Fellow of Merton College

1649 Henry Wilkinson, BD, Principal of Magdalen Hall

1654 Francis Howell, MA, Fellow of Exeter College; afterwards Principal of Jesus College

1657 William Carpender, MA, Student of Christ Church

1660 Francis Palmer, MA, Student of Christ Church

1664 Andrew Crispe, MA, Fellow of Christ Church

1668 Nathaniel Hodges, MA, Student of Christ Church

1673 Abraham Campion, MA, Fellow and Senior Proctor of Trinity College

...

1708 Edward Thwaytes, MA, Fellow of The Queen's College; Regius Professor of Greek

...

1829 William Mills, BD, Fellow of Magdalen College

1834 Renn Dickson Hampden, DD, Principal of St. Mary Hall; afterwards Regius Professor of Divinity, Bishop of Hereford

1836 William Sewell, MA, Fellow of Exeter College

1841 Charles William Stocker, DD, sometimes Fellow of St. John’s College

1842 George Henry Sacheverell Johnson, MA, Fellow of The Queen's College, Savilian Professor of Astronomy

1845 Henry George Liddell, MA, Student, afterwards Dean, of Christ Church

1846 John Matthias Wilson, MA, Fellow, afterwards President, of Corpus Christi College

1851 John Matthias Wilson, re-elected

1856–1858 Vacant

1858 John Matthias Wilson, re-elected

1874 John Richard Turner Eaton (1825–?), MA, sometimes Fellow of Merton College

1878 Thomas Hill (T.H.) Green (1836–1882), MA, Fellow of Balliol College

1882 William Wallace (1843–1897), MA, Student of Balliol College; Fellow of Merton College

1897 John Alexander Stewart (philosopher) (1846–1933), MA, Student of Christ Church

1923 William David (W. D.) Ross (1877–1971), MA, Fellow of Oriel College

1928 Harold Arthur (H. A.) Prichard (1871–1947), MA, Scholar at New College; Fellow at Hertford College, Trinity College, and Corpus Christi College

1937 Herbert James Paton (1887–1969), MA (Glasgow), MA, Snell Exhibitioner at Balliol College; Fellow of Corpus Christi College

1952 John Langshaw (J. L.) Austin (1911–1960), MA, Fellow of All Souls College and Magdalen College

1960 William Calvert Kneale (1906–1990), MA, Fellow of Exeter College

1966 Richard Mervyn (R. M.) Hare (1919–2002), MA, Student and Fellow of Balliol College; Fellow of Corpus Christi College

1983–90 Vacant

1990 Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (1929–2003), MA, Fellow of Corpus Christi College

1996 James Griffin (1933–), BA (Yale), MA, DPhil, Fellow of Keble College and Corpus Christi College

2001 John Broome (1947–), BA (Cambridge), PhD (MIT), Fellow of Corpus Christi College

2014 Jeff McMahan (1954–), BA (Sewanee: University of the South), BA, MA (Oxford), PhD (Cambridge), Fellow of Corpus Christi College

References

White's Professor of Moral Philosophy Wikipedia

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