Born into a Christian family in 1881 in Exeter, Devon, William Temple's father, served as Archbishop of Canterbury before him and was Bishop of Exeter at the time of his birth. William studied at Balliol College, Oxford and then became a Fellow and lecturer of philosophy at Queen's College, Oxford until his ordination as priest in the Church of England in 1909. He was headmaster at Repton school, before his appointment as Rector at St James', Piccadilly, London. He also served as Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury throughout this time (1910-1921).He rose fast through the church hierarchy whilst supporting the Life and Liberty movement, an unofficial body created to stimulate changes within the Church of England. He became Canon of Westminster (1919-21), was then appointed Bishop of Manchester (1921-29), Archbishop of York (1929-42) before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-44).
He published extensively and his works include the philosophical essay, Mens Creatrix (The Creative Mind 1917), the Gifford Lectures, Nature, Man, and God (1934), Christianity and Social Order (1942), and The Church Looks Forward (1944).
His strong sense of social responsibility led him to join the Labour Party (1918-25). He was the first President of the Workers' Educational Association from 1908-24 and was also involved with the Student Christian Movement.
Later in life, he became interested in international church liaisons and was Chairman to an interdenominational and international Conference on Christian Politics, Economics and Citizenship in 1924. He was an Anglican delegate to the ecumenical Faith and Order Conference in 1927, a body which hoped to bring about the reunion of the Christian churches; and became it's chairman in 1937. Still concerned with the political responsibilities of being a Christian, he helped organise the Malvern Conference (1940-41) on church-state relations and used his influence in Parliament to support the Education Act of 1944.
A man of international stature, Temple was a major influence on the formation of the British Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. His theology has been described as a Hegelian Idealism, that is one that combines the interests of church and state, enabling the church to make pronouncements on social problems and economic policies.
