Mark A. Matthews

Mark A. Matthews

Mark A. Matthews (September 24, 1867 – 1940) was a Presbyterian minister in Seattle, Washington from 1902 until his death; Dale Soden characterizes him as "without question… the most influential Protestant clergyman in the Pacific Northwest in the first half of the twentieth century."[1] He was an enigmatic figure, holding views in common with both Christian fundamentalists and liberals, especially the Social Gospel movement. He was very active in Seattle city politics, battling corruption (especially in the person of Seattle mayor Hiram Gill[1]) and encouraging social services. There is a statue of him in Seattle's Denny Park.

In line with his Progressive leanings, Matthews was an advocate of the Temperance movement. In his writings, he extended the Temperance platform of abstinence from alcohol to include other vices and associated institutions. He is quoted as saying, "The saloon is the most fiendish, corrupt, hell-soaked institution that ever crawled out of the slime of the eternal pit. ... It takes your sweet innocent daughter, robs her of her virtue, and transforms her into a brazen, wanton harlot.... It is the open sore of this land".[2] Unusually for a prohibitionist, Matthews opposed women's suffrage.[1] He also supported limitations on the immigration of Asians. [3]

Born in Calhoun, Georgia in a family beset by post Civil War poverty, Matthews grew up in the environment of Southern revivalism and, later, post-Reconstruction radical agrarian politics. His religious education was largely informal, but by 1886, at the age of 19, he was a preacher, first in Georgia and later in Tennessee. In 1902, he moved to Seattle to become pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. He married Grace Jones in 1904; they were to have two children, Gwladys and Mark Jr. As pastor from 1902 to 1940, Matthews built his church into the country's largest Presbyterian church; at its height, it had 10,000 members. He helped create such institutions as Harborview Medical Center and the organization hat began as the Seattle Day Nursery and is now Childhaven, an institution to treat child abuse. He established KTW Radio in 1922, the first church-owned radio station in the U.S. First Presbyterian also spun out branch churches, including University Presbyterian Church, which continues to be a major institution to this day.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Dale Soden, Matthews, Reverend Mark (1867-1940), HistoryLink, January 13, 2007. Accessed online 7 February 2009.
  2. ^ Behr, Edward (1996). Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America. Arcade Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 9781559703949. 
  3. ^ Mears, Eliot Grinnell (1978). Resident Orientals on the Pacific Coast: Their Legal and Economic Status (reprint ed.). New York: Arno Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-405-11284-X. 

External links

Further reading

  • Norman H. Clark, The Dry Years: Prohibition & Social Change in Washington, Revised Edition, University of Washington, 1988. ISBN 0295964669.
  • Ezra P. Giboney and Agnes M. Potter. The Life of Mark A. Matthews. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1948.
  • Dale E. Soden. The Reverend Mark Matthews: An Activist in the Progressive Era. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2001. ISBN 0-295-98021-4.
Religious titles
Preceded by
The Rev. John F. Carson
Moderator of the 124th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
1912–1913
Succeeded by
The Rev. John Timothy Stone



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mark Matthews (disambiguation) — Mark Matthews was the oldest surviving Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army when he died at age 111 in 2005. Mark Matthews may also refer to: Mark A. Matthews, Presbyterian minister and Prohibitionist Marvin Kratter or Mark Matthews, New… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Matthews — This article is about a buffalo soldier in the United States Army. For the Presbyterian minister, see Mark A. Matthews. Mark Matthews Mark Matthews during his tenure as a Buffalo Soldier (date unknown) B …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Shrader — Ring name(s) Mark Shrader Mark Schrader Joe College Billed height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) …   Wikipedia

  • Mark McGuinn — Born August 19, 1968 (1968 08 19) (age 43)[1] Origin Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. Genres Country …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Egan — Background information Born 1951 Origin Brockton, Massachusetts United States …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Hoffman — Personnage de fiction apparaissant dans Saga Saw Origine États Unis d Amérique Genre …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mark Browning — Personal information Full name Mark Browning Date of birth …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Andes — Andes, 2007 SXSW recipient at the Austin Music Awards Background information Born 19 February 1948 (1948 02 19) …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Bayes — Personal information Full name Mark Bayes Date of birth 15 Ma …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Waugh — Personal information Full name Mark Edward Waugh AM Born 2 June 1965 (1965 06 02) (age 46) Canterbury, New South Wales, Australia Nickname Junior Batting style Right hand Bowling style …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”