William King (doctor)
Encyclopedia
Dr. William King was a British
physician and philanthropist
from Brighton
. He is best known as an early supporter of the Cooperative Movement
.
By 1827, Robert Owen
had taken his ideas of a co-operative movement to the United States
. But they were picked up and amplified by Dr. King. King founded a cooperative store in Brighton. Then in 1828 he started a paper, The Co-operator to promote these ideas. The Co-operator had a wide circulation and a great influence in the emerging movement. Though only published for slightly over two years, the paper served to educate and unify otherwise scattered groups. King's articles in the paper gave the movement some philosophical and practical basis that it had lacked before.
King's overriding rationale for the movement is best illustrated by the phrases repeated on the masthead of every issue of The Co-operator:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
physician and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
from Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. He is best known as an early supporter of the Cooperative Movement
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
.
By 1827, Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
had taken his ideas of a co-operative movement to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. But they were picked up and amplified by Dr. King. King founded a cooperative store in Brighton. Then in 1828 he started a paper, The Co-operator to promote these ideas. The Co-operator had a wide circulation and a great influence in the emerging movement. Though only published for slightly over two years, the paper served to educate and unify otherwise scattered groups. King's articles in the paper gave the movement some philosophical and practical basis that it had lacked before.
King's overriding rationale for the movement is best illustrated by the phrases repeated on the masthead of every issue of The Co-operator:
- "Knowledge and union are power. Power, directed by knowledge is happiness. Happiness is the end of creation."