Rowan Douglas Williams Biography

After receiving his doctorate, he lectured at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, for two years. In 1977, he returned to his alma mater, Cambridge to teach theology at Westcott House, having been ordained deacon in Ely Cathedral. In the year 1978, he was made the priest there.

In 1980, he served as curate at St. George’s Chesterton. After three years, he was appointed as a lecturer in divinity in Cambridge University, and the following year he became dean and chaplain of Clare College. In 1986, he was appointed to the Lady Margaret professorship of divinity at Oxford University and Canon of Christ Church.

In 1989, he was awarded the degree of doctor of divinity and became a fellow of the British Academy the following year.

In 1991, he was elected as the bishop of Monmouth, a diocese on the Welsh borders, and was consecrated the following year. He served there as a bishop for seven consecutive years.

In 1999, he was elected as Archbishop of Wales, one of the 38 primates of the Anglican Communion, after the retirement of Archbishop Alwyn Rice Jones.

In 2002, he was announced as the 104th bishop of the See of Canterbury as the successor to George Carey. He was the first Welsh successor to St. Augustine of Canterbury and the first since the mid-thirteenth century to be appointed from outside the English Church. On 27 February, 2003, he was enthroned as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In 2005, he was appointed as the first chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University followed by his role as Visitor at King’s College, London, the University of Kent and Keble College, Oxford.

In 2006, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in divinity by Cambridge University. In the following year, he received a joint doctorate of divinity degree by Trinity College and Wycliffe College associated with the University of Toronto.

In late 2012, he stepped down as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In January 2013, Rowan Williams became master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and soon after sometime joined the House of Lords as a crossbench member. He stepped down from both the positions in 2020.

Rowan Douglas Williams, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, is not only a respected theologian but also a talented poet.

Williams is a polyglot, fluent in several languages including Welsh, Latin, and ancient Greek.

Beyond his public persona, Williams is said to have a quirky sense of humor and enjoys engaging in lively debates on a wide range of topics, from theology to politics.