Henry Ward Beecher
Preacher, Abolitionist, Member of the Illustrious Beecher Family
Henry Ward Beecher was probably the most famous minister in American in the 1800's. Based in Brooklyn, Beecher became known far and wide for his preaching.
A member of the illustrious family of activists, Henry Ward Beecher became famous for his work in the abolitionist movement. His sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe was the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Litchfield, Connecticut
Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1813 and died in Brooklyn, New York, in 1887. When a child, he suffered from a thickness of speech which made it difficult for others to understand him. No one could possibly prophesy that this little boy with the blond curls and speech problem would grow to become the most famous preacher in the United States in the 1800's.
Beecher's early education was in the village school, followed by a stint at the Hartford Female Seminary, which was run by his much older sister Catharine. After the family moved to Boston, Henry was accepted at the Boston Latin School, but his progress was less than outstanding. He later attended the Mount Pleasent Collegiate Institute in Amherst, Massachusetts, which prepared him for Amherst College, which he entered in 1830.
Pastorates
Henry enrolled at the Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1834 and graduated in 1837. He had met his future bride, Eunice White Bullard, in Massachusetts some years earlier and in 1837 they were married at her home in West Sutton, Massachusetts.
Henry's first church was situated in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and is still standing today. He was there only two years when his reputation spread to Indianapolis where he was offered the pulpit at the Second Presbyterian Church. While pastor of this church he was approached by a deputation from Brooklyn, New York, asking him to come to them as pastor. After several refusals, he finally relented and became minister of the Plymouth Church in 1847. He remained at this church until his death forty years later.
Adultery
Beecher was successful in his ministry in Brooklyn, and he soon became known for his preaching. The church flourished under his direction and soon outgrew its building. All was going well for Henry when in 1874 his best friend and associate, Theodore Tilton, charged him with having committed adultery with Tilton's wife Elizabeth. The case went on for many months, with Elizabeth confessing to friends at one time that she had been with Beecher, and at other times that she had not. The final verdict exonerated Beecher but the taint of immoral conduct remained with him throught the rest of his life.
Beecher died of a stroke (which he had feared all his life), in 1887, and the streets of Brooklyn Heights were crowded with devoted followers wishing to pay their last rspects. Eunice Beecher died in 1897 and she was buried beside her husband in the GreenWood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Beecher did so much in the anti-slavery movement that it seems unfortunate that he is still remembered for his role in the adultery case.
Source "Love Divine: The Life of Henry Ward Beecher," by Anya Laurence, iUniverse Publishing, 2006
For further informaton about the Beecher family see:
Who Was Isabella Beecher Hooker?
