Cleland Boyd McAfee

Cleland Boyd McAfee
Born September 25, 1866(1866-09-25)
Ashley, Missouri, United States
Died February 4, 1944(1944-02-04)
Asheville, North Carolina
Education Park College
Union Theological Seminary
Spouse Harriet "Hattie" Lawson Brown (m. 1867–1959) «start: (1867)–end+1: (1960)»"Marriage: Harriet "Hattie" Lawson Brown to Cleland Boyd McAfee" Location: (linkback:http://localhost../../../../articles/c/l/e/Cleland_Boyd_McAfee_b3f9.html) (her death)
Children Mildred Helen McAfee Horton, Ruth Myrtle and Katharine Agnes
Parents John Armstrong McAfee and Anna Waddell Bailey
Church Presbyterian
Writings 'The Greatest English Classic: A Study of the King James Version of the Bible
Congregations served First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, Illinois; Lafayette Avenue Church of Brooklyn, New York
Offices held Moderator, General Assembly of the United States Presbyterian Church,
Director, Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions

Cleland Boyd McAfee (September 25, 1866 – February 4, 1944) was an American theologian, Presbyterian minister and hymn writer, best known for penning the gospel hymn, "Near to the Heart of God,"[1] a song written after the concurrent deaths of two of his young nieces, caused by diphtheria.

McAfee was born in Ashley, Missouri, in 1866, as one of five children. His father, John A. McAfee, was[2] the founder of Park College in Parkville, Missouri. The younger McAfee graduated from Park College in 1884, and later graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York. McAfee went on to serve as a professor of philosophy, choir director, pastor and dean of Park College until 1901, when he left to minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. McAfee moved from First Presbyterian in 1904, to pastor the Lafayette Avenue Church of Brooklyn, in Brooklyn, New York. McAfee also taught systematic theology at McCormick Theological Seminary, from 1912 to 1930.

In 1912, McAfee authored the treatise, "The Greatest English Classic: A Study Of The King James Version Of The Bible."[3] He was moderator of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in the United States, and led the Pres­by­ter­i­an Board of Foreign Mis­sions from 1930 to 1936. He died in 1944.

On August 10, 1892, McAfee married Harriet "Hattie" Lawson Brown; they had three children, Ruth Myrtle, Katharine Agnes, and Mildred Helen.[4] Mildred Helen McAfee Horton went on to become the first director of WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the United States Navy.

References

  1. ^ "Cleland Boyd McAfee, 1866-1944". Cyberhymnal. http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/c/a/mcafee_cb.htm. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 
  2. ^ McKim, LindaJo K. (1993). [url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kde8yd0INHsC&source=gbs_navlinks_s The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion]. Louisville. Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 356–357. ISBN 0-664-25180-3. url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kde8yd0INHsC&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
  3. ^ McAfee, Cleland Boyd. "Study of the King James Bible". Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1592. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 
  4. ^ Tenlen, Jenny. "Family of John Armstrong McAfee (414) & Anna Waddle Bailey". The McAfees, Kentucky Pioneers. Jenny Tenlen. http://jtenlen.drizzlehosting.com/Register/RR01/RR01_299.HTML. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 

External links

Religious titles
Preceded by
Rev. Hugh Kelso Walker		 Moderator of the 141st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America
1929–1930		 Succeeded by
Rev. Hugh Thomson Kerr