Donaldson was born in
Ladywood, Birmingham, England on 10 September 1860 and educated at
Christ Church Cathedral School and
Merton College, Oxford, graduating B.A. in 1884. He was
ordained Deacon in 1884; and
Priest in 1885. While
Curate at
St Nicholas Cole Abbey he married Louise Eagleston: they had two sons and four daughters. After further curacies in
Piccadilly Circus and
Hammersmith he was appointed
Rector of
Nailstone. He was
Vicar of
St Mark's Church, Leicester from 1896 to 1918; and then of
Paston until 1924. He was a
Canon of
Westminster from 1924 to 1951;
Sub-Dean, 1944–1951,
Steward, 1927–1931,
Treasurer, 1931–1951, and
Receiver-General, 1938–1951. Donaldson was a founder member of the Church Socialist League, and chaired the organisation from 1913 until 1916. He was also an early member of the
Christian Social Union, sat on the council of the Industrial Christian Fellowship. He was a leader of a march of unemployed workers from Leicester to London, in 1905. In 1913, Donaldson led a deputation of Church of England clergy to the prime minister, H. H. Asquith, demanding women's suffrage. Being passionate about world peace, he was the president of the London Council for the Prevention of War (1927) and chairman of the League of Clergy for Peace (1931–40). On 1 April 1925, Donaldson in an address as Canon of Westminster Abbey, listed his "seven social evils" as: •
Politics without
principle. •
Wealth without
work. •
Pleasure without
conscience. •
Knowledge without
character. •
Commerce and
industry without
morality. •
Science without
humanity. •
Worship without
sacrifice. This list was sent to
Mahatma Gandhi, who published
a similar version in his weekly newspaper
Young India on 22 October 1925. ==Animal welfare==