the former slave-trader who had a great influence on wilberforce's life was
William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 â 29 July 1833) was an English politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.ilberforce's life and work have been commemorated in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In Westminster Abbey, a seated statue of Wilberforce by Samuel Joseph was erected in 1840, bearing an epitaph praising his Christian character and his long labour to abolish the slave trade and slavery itself.