William Birney

Biography

William Birney combined military leadership with a lifelong commitment to abolition, rising through the ranks during the Civil War to serve as a Union officer dedicated to preserving the Union and freeing the enslaved. Born in 1819, he carried the conviction that liberty and equality were worth every sacrifice.

After the war he continued to promote justice through public discourse and civic service, leaving behind a reputation for courage and principle when he passed in 1907.