Donald Oliver Soper
Photograph copyright of the National Portrait Gallery NPG x185390
Donald Oliver Soper, 1903-1998, Baron Soper
Profession: British Methodist minister, socialist and pacifist
About his life:
- Preached at London's centres for free speech, Tower Hill and Speakers' Corner; he was often referred to as "Dr Soapbox"
- Radicalised by witnessing inner-city poverty
- Became an active Labour Party member
- Offended many Conservatives by arguing that Margaret Thatcher’s policies were inherently incompatible with Christianity. His preaching concerned the political implications of the Christian gospel
- Active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and was president of the Fellowship of Reconciliation in England for many years
