William Lloyd Garrison was born in 1805 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. His father was a sailor, but after becoming unemployed in 1808, he deserted his family. Garrison sold homemade candy and lemonade as a boy, and at the age of 13 worked as an apprentice compositor at the Newburyport Herald. He soon began writing articles under the pseudonym, Aristides.

Garrison’s mother died in 1823.  By then, his apprenticeship had ended, and he was the sole owner, editor, and printer of the Newburyport Free Press. In 1828, he was appointed editor of the National Philanthropist in Boston. 

While working for the newspapers, Garrison became involved in the anti-slavery movement. He co-founded The Liberator in 1831. He advocated for the immediate emancipation of all slaves which was an unpopular view during the 1830s. The Liberator only had 400 subscribers, but Garrison gained a reputation as one of the most radical abolitionists. He helped organize the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1832, and the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.

There were many anti-slavery movements in the 1840s. Garrison believed that the U.S. Constitution was a pro-slavery document and that women should be allowed to participate in the Anti-Slavery Society, both radical ideas at the time. In 1851, when Frederick Douglass stated that the Constitution could be used against slavery and not abandoned, a rift formed between he and Garrison that was never healed.

After Civil War ended in 1865, Garrison published his last issue of the Liberator. His wife, Helen, had suffered a small stroke in 1863, and became increasingly frail. She died in 1876, and Garrison was so overcome with grief he was bedridden for days. He began to attend Spiritualist circles in the hope of communicating with her.

Suffering from kidney disease, Garrison condition weakened in early 1879. He moved to New York to live with his daughter Fanny’s family. On May 24, 1879, he died just before midnight. No public mention was made of Mr. Garrison’s fascination with Spiritualism at his funeral, but others were aware of his interest. Timothy B. Taylor said Garrison “was a puregenuine, out-and-out SPIRITUALIST!”

Giles B. Stebbins said, “He used good judgment, aimed to see only reliable mediums, kept all this thought and ideal on this great matter in the realm of fine morals and spiritual culture, and was earnest in expression of the peace, and strength, and joy, and the clear views of life and its work and duty, which Spiritualism gave him.”

Luther Colby reported that Garrison attend a séance at the home of Mrs. Mary M. Hardy in 1879. “Mr. Garrison called upon Mrs. Susie Nickerson-White, of Boston, test medium; during the sitting she was controlled by his spirit-wife, who, in answer to his question if he should live to welcome his daughter on her return from the Old World, informed him that his time on earth was short, and that he would not be living when she (the daughter) returned.” 

Additional Reading:

Colby, Luther. “William Lloyd Garrison,” Banner of Light (Boston), June 7, 1879.

Mayer, Henry (1998) All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery, St. Martin’s Press, New York. 

Stebbins, Giles Badger. “Wm. Lloyd Garrison a Spiritualist—Testimony of G. B. Stebbins,” Banner of Light, December 27, 1879.

Stewart, James Brewer (1992) William Lloyd Garrison and the Challenge of Emancipation. Harlan Davidson, Inc. Arlington Heights, IL.

Taylor, T. B., “William Lloyd Garrison’s Religion,” Banner of Light, July 5, 1879.

https://iapsop.com/spirithistory/garrison_as_spiritualist.html