John H. (John Hobbis) Harris

Born in 1874, this English writer, missionary, and reformer became best known for campaigning against slavery and colonial violence in Africa. After working in London, he and his wife, Alice Seeley Harris, went to the Congo, where what they witnessed transformed both of them into outspoken activists. They used lectures, writing, and photographs to bring evidence of abuse before the public and politicians.

He went on to play an important role in organized reform movements, including work linked to the Congo Reform Association and, from 1910, the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society. Alongside his activism, he wrote books such as Dawn in Darkest Africa, Africa: Slave or Free?, and Germany's Lost Colonial Empire and the Essentials of Reconstruction, using his books to argue against exploitation and for greater justice for colonized peoples.

Public life later drew him into politics as a Liberal MP for North Hackney in 1923–24. Knighted in 1933, he remained associated with anti-slavery and humanitarian work until his death in 1940. Today he is remembered both for his own campaigning and for the powerful partnership he shared with Alice Seeley Harris.