He was not much known outside of Illinois, except as a skilful debater and stump orator.

On the fall of the Whig government in 1841, succeeded by that of Sir Robert Peel, Mr. Gladstone was appointed vice-president of the Board of Trade and master of the Mint, and naturally became more prominent as a parliamentary debater,not yet a parliamentary leader.

Sir James Mackintosh is an accomplished debater, rather than a powerful orator: he is distinguished more as a man of wonderful and variable talent than as a man of commanding intellect.

But the ablest debater of the convention was Hamilton, and his speeches were impressive and convincing.

She was no stoic, no teacher of moral precepts, no didactic debater about moral duties, no mere dilettante advocate of human rights.

Indeed we should sooner expect a great original work on political science, such a work, for example, as the Wealth of Nations, from an apothecary in a country town, or from a minister in the Hebrides, than from a statesman who, ever since he was one-and-twenty, had been a distinguished debater in the House of Commons.

Cobden first, and Bright after him, became members of the House of Commons, and they were further assisted there by Milner Gibson, a man of position and family, an effective debater, who had been at first a Conservative, but who passed over to the ranks of the Free Traders, and through them to the ranks of the Liberals or Radicals.

With so many resources, with such variety and solidity of information, Mr. Brougham is rather a powerful and alarming, than an effectual debater.

It was as if she were in momentary expectation of being challenged by these hardy debaters: "Are not you a free-thinker?"

He was, moreover, a vigorous thinker and an invincible debater, and, once embarked in this cause, he had no thought of drawing back.

But if the subject of debate be something in the air, an abstraction, an excuse for talk, a logical Aunt Sally, then may the male debater instantly abandon hope; he may employ reason, adduce facts, be supple, be smiling, be angry, all shall avail him nothing; what the woman said first, that (unless she has forgotten it) she will repeat at the end.

A prolific writer and a shrewd debater, Whiston played no small part in the general leavening of opinion.

Just as the skillful teacher must know the difficulties that will arise in the minds of the pupils even though they are not expressed, so must the skillful debater consider the objections that his hearer will mentally set up against his argument.

The world became full of easy-mannered, graceful, gracefully-dressed, conversationally dexterous, finally shallow Wedderburns, Bishops Wedderburn, Wedderburn M.P.'s, Professors Wedderburn, Wedderburn landlords, all with finger-bowl shibboleths and epigrammatic cities of refuge from a sturdy debater.

In these famous debates between the leaders, Lincoln proved himself quite the equal of his antagonist, who was already famous as a trained and prompt debater.

His speeches were always controversial, but he was an admirable debater.

A master of epigram and a brilliant debater, he really led his party.

The debater, more concerned with verbal consistency than realities and the establishment of sound principles, will say that this means the approval of war.