John Wesley Hill


John Wesley Hill was an American Methodist minister, political activist, author, and the chancellor of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee from 1916 to 1936.

Early life

Hill was born on May 8, 1863 in Kalida, Ohio. Hill's father was John Wesley Hill. Hill's mother was Elizabeth Hughes Hill. Hill attended Ohio Northern University and then took classes at the Methodist Boston Theological Seminary.

Pastoral career

While still taking classes Hill became the pastor of a church in Eggleston Square in Boston. He went on to lead churches in Ogden, Utah, Helena, Montana, and Minneapolis, where he organized and built the Fowler Episcopal Methodist Church. He went on to positions in Fostoria, Ohio and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he was appointed chaplain to the Pennsylvania state senate. Around 1905 he moved to the Janes United Methodist Church in Brooklyn, and then to the Metropolitan Temple at 7th Avenue and West 13th Street in New York City.

Politics

Hill was known for mixing politics and religion, campaigning for example with William H. Taft. During World War I Hill was involved with several organizations campaigning for peace and world governance, serving as general secretary of the World's Court League 1915-6 and president of the International Peace Forum.
Hill published through the Peace Forum a debate he participated in on May 7, 1913 with Dr. Bouck White on the question "Resolved: That socialism is a peril to the state and the church". Inez Milholland was the moderator.

Academic career

Hill was the chancellor of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee from 1916 to 1936.
Hill wrote Twin City Methodism: A History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. and Abraham Lincoln: Man of God in 1920.

Personal life

Hill's wife was Sally Harrison Hill.
Hill died on October 12, 1936 at the Commodore Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

Legacy

His papers are archived at Columbia University.