White's Professor of Moral Philosophy

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Endowed in 1621 by Thomas White (c. 1550-1624), DD, Canon of Christ Church, the White's Chair of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxford is perhaps the most prestigious chair of moral philosophy in the world.

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.

[edit] 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
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1708 Edward Thwaytes, MA, Fellow of The Queen's College; Regius Professor of Greek
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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 (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.) Pritchard (1871-1947), MA, Scholar at New College; Fellow at Hertford College, Trinity College, and Corpus Christi College
1937 Hubert James (H.J.) Paton (1887-195?), MA (?), Balliol 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