George Holyoake

George Jacob Holyoake (13 April 1817 - 22 January 1906), English secularist and co-operator, was born in Birmingham, England. He coined the term "secularism" in 1846. [Feldman, Noah (2005). Divided by God. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pg. 113]

At an early age he became an Owenite lecturer, and in 1841 was the last person convicted for blasphemy in a public lecture, though this had no theological character and the incriminating words were merely a reply to a question addressed to him from the body of the meeting.

He nevertheless underwent six months imprisonment, and upon his release invented the inoffensive term secularism as descriptive of his opinions, and established the "Reasoner" in their support. He was also the last person indicted for publishing an unstamped newspaper, but the prosecution was dropped upon the repeal of the tax.

His later years were chiefly devoted to the promotion of the cooperative movement among lower-class workers. He served as President of the first day of the 1887 Co-operative Congress.Citation | title = Congress Presidents 1869-2002| url =http://archive.co-op.ac.uk/downloadFiles/congressPresidentstable.pdf|date=February 2002| accessdate =2008-05-10] He wrote the history of the "Rochdale Pioneers" (1857), "The History of Co-operation in England" (1875; revised ed., 1906), and "The Co-operative Movement of To-day" (1891). He also published (1892) his autobiography, under the title of "Sixty Years of an Agitator's Life", and in 1905 two volumes of reminiscences, "Bygones worth Remembering". He died at Brighton on January 22, 1906, and in response the Co-operative Movement decided that a lasting monument should be built to him: a permanent home for the Co-operative Union in Manchester. [ [http://archive.co-op.ac.uk/holyoake.htm Collection Description of the Holyoake archive, held at the National Co-operative Archive, Manchester, UK] ] Holyoake House was opened in 1911, and also houses a collection of Holyoake's papers and publications: a second collection is also held at Bishopsgate Library. [ [http://www.archiveshub.ac.uk/news/05100601.html Collection Description of the Holyoake archive, held at the Bishopsgate Institute, London] ]

References

* J. McCabe, "Life and Letters of G. J. Holyoake" (2 vols, 1908); C. W. F. Goss, "Descriptive Bibliography of the Writings of G. J. Holyoake" (1908).

Writings by G. J. Holyoake

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=1xpRS9zmSYcC Rationalism A Treatise for the Times] (London: J. Watson, 1845)
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=K3wDAAAAQAAJ The History of the Last Trial by Jury for Atheism in England A Fragment of Autobiography] (London: J. Watson, 1850)
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=MKAOAAAAIAAJ Christianity and Secularism Report of a Public Discussion Between Rev. Brewin and G. J. Holyoake] (London: Ward & co., 1853)
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=MpoCAAAAYAAJ Rudiments of Public Speaking and Debate or, Hints on the Application of Logic] (New York: McElrath & Barker, 1853)

External links

* [http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/religion/blrel_sec_def.htm Secularism 101: Defining Secularism: Origins with George Jacob Holyoake]
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* [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t110.e2153 Oxford Reference Online Premium] – Edward Royle "Holyoake, George Jacob" The Oxford Companion to British History. Ed. John Cannon. Oxford University Press, 1997.
* [http://gerald-massey.org.uk/holyoake/index.htm George Jacob Holyoake] biography & selected writings at gerald-massey.org.uk
*worldcat id|lccn-n50-28162