Millicent Fawcett, the leader of the British suffragist movement, described Josephine Butler as 'the most distinguished English woman of the nineteenth century'. Among the first feminist activists, Butler raised public awareness of the plight of destitute women, worked to address human trafficking and led a vigorous campaign to secure equal rights for women before the law. As a hugely influential woman in history, Butler deserves to be even more widely known. This biography presents a fresh interpretation of the relationship between Josephine Butler's public leadership, her political philosophy and her spirituality.