As noted in the title, the poet/abolitionist
John Greenleaf Whittier (Whit-E-A, not whit-e-er) is what first comes to mind. Secondly, the adjective wittier, as in "I have more wit than you; I am wittier than you".
It could work in the middle, but I am afraid that up front, you would have pronunciation issues; furthermore, it comes across as a little bit "I'm far more intellectual than you", sorry.