TheWhite's Chair of Moral Philosophy was endowed in 1621 byThomas White (c. 1550–1624), Canon ofChrist Church as the oldest professorial post in philosophy at theUniversity of Oxford.^[1]

In 2021, the chairwas renamed theSekyra and White’s Professorship of Moral Philosophy following a gift from theSekyra Foundation.^[2]

Under the original agreement, the professorship was to receive a stipend of £100 per annum, along with other payments and emoluments. The chair was not to be held for more than five years, or at the most ten years. In 1673, a practice began of electing one of theproctors, usually the senior, to the office; in course of time the lectures were entirely dropped; and at length the Professorship was so far forgotten, that it was never mentioned in the Oxford Calendar before the year 1831, the practice having continued, with one exception, until February 1829.^[3]

The professorship was established on a new footing by a statute approved by theQueen in Council in 1858. As a result of statutes made by the Commissioners of 1877, the professorship is now attached with a fellowship withCorpus Christi College.

The Sekyra and White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy leads the study and development of moral philosophy within Oxford and supervises doctoral and Master’s students in the subject. The postholder also chairs the Oxford Moral Philosophy Seminar, which has hosted the world’s leading moral philosophers in recent decades. Previous holders of the Chair have contributed to debates around the biggest challenges facing humanity.

• 1621 William Price, MA, Student ofChrist Church^[4]
• 1630Thomas Ballow, MA, Student ofChrist Church^[5]
• 1634Edward Fulham, MA, Student ofChrist Church^[6]
• 1638George Gisbey, MA, Fellow ofSt. John’s College^[7]
• 1643John Berkenhead, MA, Fellow ofAll Souls College^[5]
• 1648Edward Copley, MA, Fellow ofMerton College^[5]
• 1649Henry Wilkinson, BD, Principal of Magdalen Hall^[5]
• 1654Francis Howell, MA, Fellow ofExeter College; afterwards Principal ofJesus College^[5]
• 1657William Carpender, MA, Student ofChrist Church^[5]
• 1660Francis Palmer, MA, Student ofChrist Church
• 1664Andrew Crispe, MA, Fellow ofChrist Church
• 1668Nathaniel Hodges, MA, Student ofChrist Church
• 1673Abraham Campion, MA, Fellow and Senior Proctor ofTrinity College

...

• 1708Edward Thwaytes, MA, Fellow ofThe Queen's College; Regius Professor of Greek

...

• 1829William Mills, BD, Fellow ofMagdalen College
• 1834Renn Dickson Hampden, DD, Principal of St. Mary Hall; afterwardsRegius Professor of Divinity,Bishop of Hereford
• 1836William Sewell, MA, Fellow ofExeter College
• 1841Charles William Stocker, DD, sometimes Fellow ofSt. John’s College
• 1842George Henry Sacheverell Johnson, MA, Fellow ofThe Queen's College, Savilian Professor of Astronomy
• 1845Henry George Liddell, MA, Student, afterwards Dean, ofChrist Church
• 1846John Matthias Wilson, MA, Fellow, afterwards President, ofCorpus Christi College
• 1851John Matthias Wilson, re-elected
• 1856–1858Vacant
• 1858John Matthias Wilson, re-elected
• 1874John Richard Turner Eaton (1825–?), MA, sometimes Fellow ofMerton College
• 1878Thomas Hill (T.H.) Green (1836–1882), MA, Fellow ofBalliol College
• 1882William Wallace (1843–1897), MA, Student ofBalliol College; Fellow ofMerton College
• 1897John Alexander Stewart (1846–1933), MA, Student ofChrist Church
• 1923William David (W. D.) Ross (1877–1971), MA, Fellow ofOriel College
• 1928Harold Arthur (H. A.) Prichard (1871–1947), MA, Scholar atNew College; Fellow atHertford College,Trinity College, andCorpus Christi College
• 1937Herbert James Paton (1887–1969), MA (Glasgow), MA, Snell Exhibitioner atBalliol College; Fellow ofCorpus Christi College
• 1952John Langshaw (J. L.) Austin (1911–1960), MA, Fellow ofAll Souls College andMagdalen College
• 1960William Calvert Kneale (1906–1990), MA, Fellow ofExeter College
• 1966Richard Mervyn (R. M.) Hare (1919–2002), MA, Student and Fellow ofBalliol College; Fellow ofCorpus Christi College
• 1983–90Vacant
• 1990Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (1929–2003), MA, Fellow ofCorpus Christi College
• 1996James Griffin (1933–2019), BA (Yale), MA, DPhil, Fellow ofKeble College andCorpus Christi College
• 2001John Broome (1947–), BA (Cambridge), PhD (MIT), Fellow ofCorpus Christi College
• 2014Jeff McMahan (1954–), BA (Sewanee: University of the South), BA, MA (Oxford), PhD (Cambridge), Fellow ofCorpus Christi College

• Wilde Professor of Mental Philosophy
• Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy
• Wykeham Professor of Logic

• Oxford University Archives, The Historical Register of the University of Oxford, 1220–1900

• Professorships at the University of Oxford
• Professorships in philosophy
• 1621 establishments in England
• Corpus Christi College, Oxford

• Articles incorporating Cite DNB template
• Use dmy dates from October 2019