Henry Ward Beecher
Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His rhetorical focus on Christ's love has influenced mainstream Christianity through the 21st century.[1]
This article is about the American clergyman. For the medical doctor, see Henry K. Beecher.
Henry Ward Beecher
June 24, 1813
March 8, 1887 (aged 73)
- Congregational clergyman
- abolitionist
- Lyman Beecher (father)
Beecher was the son of Lyman Beecher, a Calvinist minister who became one of the best-known evangelists of his era. Several of his brothers and sisters became well-known educators and activists, most notably Harriet Beecher Stowe, who achieved worldwide fame with her abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Henry Ward Beecher graduated from Amherst College in 1834 and Lane Seminary in 1837 before serving as a minister in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and later in Indianapolis's Second Presbyterian Church when the congregation resided at Circle Hall at Monument Circle.[2][3]
In 1847, Beecher became the first pastor of the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. He soon acquired fame on the lecture circuit for his novel oratorical style in which he employed humor, dialect, and slang. Over the course of his ministry, he developed a theology emphasizing God's love above all else. He also grew interested in social reform, particularly the abolitionist movement. In the years leading up to the Civil War, he raised money to purchase slaves from captivity and to send rifles—nicknamed "Beecher's Bibles"—to abolitionists fighting in Kansas. He toured Europe during the Civil War, speaking in support of the Union.
After the war, Beecher supported social reform causes such as women's suffrage and temperance. He also championed Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, stating that it was not incompatible with Christian beliefs.[4] He was widely rumored to be an adulterer, and in 1872 the Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly published a story about his affair with Elizabeth Richards Tilton, the wife of his friend and former co-worker Theodore Tilton. In 1874, Tilton filed charges for "criminal conversation" against Beecher. The subsequent trial resulted in a hung jury and was one of the most widely reported trials of the century.
After the death of his father in 1863, Beecher was unquestionably "the most famous preacher in the nation".[5] Beecher's long career in the public spotlight led biographer Debby Applegate to call her biography of him The Most Famous Man in America.[6]
Later life and legacy[edit]
Later life[edit]
In 1871, Yale University established "The Lyman Beecher Lectureship", of which Henry taught the first three annual courses.[18] After the heavy expenses of the trial, Beecher embarked on a lecture tour of the West that returned him to solvency.[69] In 1884, he angered many of his Republican allies when he endorsed Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland for the presidency, arguing that Cleveland should be forgiven for having fathered an illegitimate child.[70] He made another lecture tour of England in 1886.[18]
On March 6, 1887, Beecher suffered a stroke and died in his sleep on March 8. Still a widely popular figure, he was mourned in newspapers and sermons across the country.[67][71] Henry Ward Beecher is interred at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.[72]
Legacy[edit]
In assessing Beecher's legacy, Applegate states that
In 1929, First Presbyterian Church in Lawrenceburg was renamed Beecher Presbyterian.[73]
A Henry Ward Beecher Monument created by the sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward was unveiled on June 24, 1891, in Borough Hall Park, Brooklyn, and was later relocated to Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn in 1959.
A limerick written about Beecher by poet Oliver Herford became well known in the USA:[74]
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. offered his own limerick on Beecher:[75]
Christopher J Barry, Canadian published songwriter, offered this alternative limerick:
In 2022, New Hampshire Historical Marker no. 274 was unveiled in Carroll, New Hampshire, commemorating Beecher and his open-air sermons in the town.[76]
In popular culture[edit]
Beecher Cascades on Crawford Brook in Carroll, New Hampshire,[81] is named for him.[82] It is rumored that he slipped and fell into the brook there on a visit.
In March 1993, a new musical, Loving Henry, inspired by the Beecher–Tilton scandal, was presented at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. It was written by Dick Turmail and Clinton Corbett, with the music composed by jazz violinist Noel Pointer.[83]
