Warren Akin Candler

Warren Akin Candler (1857 – 25 September 1941) was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, elected in 1898. He was the tenth president of Emory University.

Early life

He was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, the tenth of eleven children born to Samuel and Martha Bernetta Beall Candler. Samuel was a prosperous merchant and planter. Their children were raised in a devout atmosphere.

Candler attended Emory College in Oxford, Georgia, from 1874 to 1877. There he discovered his religious vocation and quite a talent for preaching. As a result he made the M.E. Church, South the center of his life. Following college, Warren married Sarah Antoinette "Nettie" Curtright. The couple had five children, three of whom lived to adulthood.

Ministerial career

As a young pastor, Candler served several churches in northwest Georgia. In 1882, along with Bishop George Foster Pierce of the M.E. Church, South, and Bishop Lucius Holsey of the Colored (now Christian) M.E. Church, and others, Candler helped found Paine Institute (now Paine College) in Augusta, Georgia. Paine's mission was the higher education of African Americans. As a longtime member of Paine's Board of Trustees, Candler supported the hiring of African Americans to teach, thus helping to create a racially integrated faculty, unusual in the post-Civil War South.

From 1886 until 1888 Rev. Candler served in Nashville, Tennessee as the Assistant Editor of the "Christian Advocate," and important periodical in the M.E. Church, South. In this capacity he supported at least some of the goals of the evangelical Holiness Association, though also fearing it might become divisive.

His next assignment was as the tenth President of Emory College. The students nicknamed him "Shorty." He advanced firmly conservative views at Emory. For example, he phased out technological training, implementing a liberal arts curriculum. He also improved the school's finances and increased the size of its faculty.

Episcopal career

Candler was elected a Bishop by the General Conference of the M.E. Church, South in 1898. As Bishop he became concerned with missionary enterprises among other denominational matters.

Bishop Candler also served as spiritual advisor to his brother, Asa Griggs Candler, founder of the Coca-Cola Company. As such, Warren encouraged Asa's support of church causes, particularly Emory. Indeed, the creation of Emory University in Atlanta was enabled largely through the financial backing of Asa.

Emory University

Emory's creation came about when Bishop Candler and some of his colleagues, members of the Board of Trustees of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, lost influence over that institution. After an unseccessful 1910 lawsuit to regain their authority, the M.E. Church, South decided instead to establish two new educational institutions, which would be under their control.

The first of these new Methodist educational institutions was Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The other was to be located somewhere east of the Mississippi River. The Candler brothers combined their influence and resources to win this role for Emory College. Indeed, Asa wrote a check for $1 million to defray the expenses of moving Emory's campus from Oxford to land he donated in his Druid Hills development in the eastern suburbs of Atlanta.

Bishop Candler became the first Chancellor of the new Emory University in 1914. As such he fought for traditional values, forbidding such activities as dramatics clubs and intercollegiate athletics. In addition to the School of Theology, Emory established Law and Medical Schools, and opened a University Hospital, as well. Candler's hope of establishing a School of Education, however, never came to fruition.

Bishop Candler expended great efforts raising funds for Emory. Indeed, though he expressed his desire to retire as Chancellor in 1918, he did not step down until 1922. He remained active as a University Trustee until 1937.

Theological Writing

For three decades Candler wrote a column in the Atlanta Journal. He also wrote many articles for religious publications, and fifteen books on biographical and religious topics. His thinking reflected traditionalism tempered by religious idealism. Although he wrote of his belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority, Candler also spoke out very strongly against lynching, for example. While not a critic of the American economic system, per se, he did oppose the power of trusts and condemned covetousness in general. A supporter of the traditional Christian creed, he also sought to mitigate the conflict between science and religion.

Methodist Reunification

Not unlike several members of the Episcopacy (particularly in the South), Bishop Candler opposed the reunification of the M.E. and M.E. Church, South. These two denominations divided in 1844 over the issues of slavery and episcopal prerogative. Nevertheless, proponents of reunification persuaded the General Conference of the M.E. Church, South, to establish a rule requiring the retirement of Bishops who had reached the age of seventy-two. This rule removed Candler and another opponent of reunification in 1934, thus paving the way to reunification in 1939.

Nevertheless, Candler continued to write, and announced his intention to "preach until I die." He received many honors and gestures of public affection throughout his Episcopal career, including the gift of a Franklin sedan. Warren Akin Candler died 25 September 1941 in Atlanta, Georgia, being buried in a cemetery adjacent to the Emory campus. Nettie, his wife of more than sixty years, died two years later.

Emory's Candler School of Theology is named in honor of him. Candler College a prestigious high school located in Havana Cuba was also named in his honor.

Written Works

*"Christus Auctor: A Manual of Christian Evidences" (1900)
*"Wesley and his Work" (1912)
*"Kingdom of God's Dear Son" (1921)
*"Life of Thomas Coke" (1923)
*"Current Comments on Timely Topics (1926)
*"Bishop Charles Betts Galloway: A Prince of Preachers and Christian Statesman" (1927)
*"Christ and the Creed" (1927)
*"Easter Meditations" (1930)
*"Young J. Allen: The Man Who Seeded China" (1931)

Biographies

*Bauman, Mark K., Warren Akin Candler: The Conservative as Idealist, Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1981.
*Kemp, Kathryn W., "Warren Akin Candler," The New Georgia Encyclopedia, The Georgia Humanities Council and The University of Georgia Press, 2004-06. retrieved 2 May 2006 [ [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Religion/HistoricalFigures&id=h-754 New Georgia Encyclopedia: Warren Akin Candler (1857-1941) ] at www.georgiaencyclopedia.org]

Notes

External links

* [http://emoryhistory.emory.edu/people/presidents/Candler.htm Emory History | Presidents | Candler ] at emoryhistory.emory.edu
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/Religion/HistoricalFigures&id=h-754 New Georgia Encyclopedia Warren Akin Candler]

ee also

* List of Bishops of the United Methodist Church