Phillips, Wendell (1811–1884)

US reformer, orator, and philanthropist. One of the leaders of William Lloyd Garrison's American Anti-Slavery Society, he was best-known for his powerful and eloquent abolitionist speeches. In addition he supported a variety of other social causes, including women's rights, penal reform, prohibition of alcohol, unionization, and improved treatment of American Indians.

Phillips's eloquence and broad influence earned him the title ‘abolitionism's golden trumpet’. His most famous speech, in Alton, Illinois, was against the defenders of the mob murder of abolitionist leader Elijah Lovejoy. He was also critical of the conduct of the American Civil War (1861–65) by President Abraham Lincoln.

Phillips was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard University. He became a lawyer in 1834 and in 1836 married the radical abolitionist Ann Terry Greene. Throughout the 1840s and 1850s he led protests against racist laws and discrimination. He also used his personal wealth to help the disadvantaged. In 1870 Phillips was a Prohibition and Labor Reform candidate for governor of Massachusetts and received nearly 15% of the vote.