John Newton

Born in London in 1725, John Newton went to sea at a young age and lived through years of danger, instability, and deep personal struggle. He later became involved in the slave trade, an experience he would come to regret profoundly. After a dramatic spiritual turning point during a storm at sea, he gradually left that life behind and eventually entered the Church of England.

Newton became a well-known Anglican clergyman and hymn writer. He is most closely associated with “Amazing Grace,” one of the best-known hymns in the English-speaking world. He also worked with the poet William Cowper on the Olney Hymns, a collection that shaped Christian devotional music for generations.

In his later years, Newton spoke publicly against the slave trade and supported the abolitionist cause. That change gave his life an unusual moral weight: he was remembered not only for a famous hymn, but also for openly condemning a system in which he had once taken part. He died in 1807, the same year Britain passed the law abolishing the slave trade.