Frank W. Gunsaulus
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Frank Wakeley Gunsaulus | |
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Chicago, Illinois | |
Burial place | Forest Home Cemetery |
Occupation(s) | Minister, educator, orator |
Spouse |
Georgeanna Long (m. 1875) |
Children | Joseph Long, Martha Weight, Beatrice Hawley, Mary Freeman, Helen Cowen |
Parent(s) | Joseph Gunsaulus, Mary Hawley |
Signature | |
Frank Wakeley Gunsaulus (January 1, 1856 – March 17, 1921) was a noted preacher, educator, pastor, author and humanitarian. Famous for his "Million Dollar Sermon" which led Philip Danforth Armour to donate money to found Armour Institute of Technology where Gunsaulus served as president for its first 27 years. Gunsaulus lived in Chicago for 34 years where he was pastor of Plymouth Church (1887–99) and Central Church from 1899 until two years before his death. He was a prominent figure in Chicago's social, educational, and civic improvements. In 1893, he was named first president of Armour Institute of Technology (now Illinois Institute of Technology). His extraordinary energy, masterful oratory skills, and intellectual talents influenced the city's spiritual, educational, cultural, and civic development for decades.
Early life
Frank Wakely Gunsaulus was born in Chesterville, Morrow County, Ohio, on January 1, 1856, the son of Joseph and Mary (Hawley) Gunsaulus. He was a descendant of Manuel Gonsalus (Gonzales), a Spaniard and early settler in Sullivan County, New York who lived near Rochester and married into a Dutch family in Kingston, Ulster County. His father, Joseph, was an attorney and notary public in Chesterville who was born on a farm in Cayuga County, New York on April 29, 1825. Frank Gunsaulus' oratorical skills, extraordinary memory and mental agility, impassioned leadership, and his dedication to civic duty, patriotism and democratic ideals can be attributed to the influence of his father.
In 1861, Joseph was elected as the Republican representative from Morrow County to the state legislature. He represented the county for four years, served on the Military Committee where he advised Governors
Frank W. Gunsaulus attended public schools in Chesterville and was admitted to Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, at the age of 16. He was known by his classmates and professors to have a ravenous appetite for reading "the classics" coupled with a prodigious memory and a keen intellect. Always a popular student on campus, his classmates and professors were amazed by his public speaking skills and frequently made a point to attend his regular oratories at the school, where many claimed they were spellbound by his charm, wit, passion, and intelligence. He graduated from Wesleyan in 1875 at the age of 19 and was married that year to Georgeanna (Anna), daughter of George Long of Parsons, West Virginia and 1875 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan Female College.
Early ministry
After completing college, Gunsaulus was ordained to the Methodist Ministry and was an itinerant minister (circuit rider) for several years. In 1879, he entered the Congregational ministry and became pastor of the Eastwood Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio, where he served until 1881. During this period, he and Georgeanne had three children: Joseph Long (1877), Martha G. (1879) and Beatrice (1881). He then served as a very popular pastor in Newtonville, Massachusetts, between 1881 and 1885 and at the Brown Memorial church in Baltimore between 1885 and 1887. While in Baltimore, Gunsaulus spent considerable time at the Johns Hopkins University Library and made contact with faculty members and students. He guest-lectured there on "The Messages of the Great English Poets" and later referred to the programs at Johns Hopkins as an educational model. During this period, he and Georgeanne added Mary J. (1884) and Helen C. (1886) to their family.
Plymouth Congregational Church
In 1887, Gunsaulus was called to the Plymouth Congregational Church in
The mission's members were to be non-sectarian without restrictions on race, creed or class. Just before Frank Gunsaulus arrived, about 700 new members joined the experiment in "practical Christian democracy" on its first Sunday in December 1886. Among the workers and teachers from Plymouth Church that assisted was Julia A. Beveridge, the mission librarian. Beveridge discovered that books were not enough to keep the members interested, so she started clay modeling classes. She soon added classes in wood carving, tile-making, freehand and mechanical drawing, and design.
Armour Institute of Technology
After Gunsaulus arrived in Chicago, he noted the effectiveness of Beveridge at the mission. He went on to preach a number of brilliant sermons to his affluent and influential neighbors, such as George Pullman and Marshall Field, about their social responsibility to the poor, uneducated, and unfortunate. In 1890, he delivered a classic sermon when Philip D. Armour was in attendance. Gunsaulus declared that if he had a million dollars, he would start a school to help the young prepare for work in the new industrial age. After the sermon (called "The Million Dollar Sermon"), Armour approached Gunsaulus and offered to give him the money to establish a trade school for the practical arts and sciences if Gunsaulus would dedicate five years of his life to run it. Thus, in 1893, the Armour Institute of Technology (now the Illinois Institute of Technology) was established with Frank Wakely Gunsaulus as its first president. The school first offered courses in engineering, chemistry, architecture and library science. Gunsaulus continued to serve as president of the Institute until his death in 1921. In honor of its first president, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed Gunsaulus Hall near 31st and Michigan Avenue (completed in 1949), which provides housing for graduate students and their families. Scholarships and an alumni fundraising group are also named in his honor.
Education philosophy
Gunsaulus was an educational reform leader who influenced schools, institutions, and associations with a message often expressed as "head, heart and hand." Gunsaulus made appearances throughout the country, at commencement ceremonies and as a lecturer at colleges and universities, to spread his ideas about education.
With a firm belief that a democratic educational meritocracy was the best way to develop individually and as a nation, Gunsaulus wanted practical education to be spread among the masses to everyone who wished to learn. He believed in an orderly and disciplined universe; therefore, science and math appealed to him. He also recognized the importance of character in self-development. Ideally, he said, education should prepare one to perform in the service of fellow men, which requires instruction and discipline. During the process, students should also develop an appreciation for spiritual power, which inculcates values that are used to make sound judgments and restrain impulses.
An example of his philosophy put into action was the establishment of a four-year course in Fire Protection Engineering at the Armour Institute of Technology. Gunsaulus was convinced that the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 could have caused less damage if fire prevention and protection were taken seriously. In cooperation with
To honor his contributions to Chicago education, the Frank W. Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy was named for him. A back-to-basics magnet school that accepts students from throughout Chicago, the academy received the School of Excellence Award in 2002.
Lectures
Gunsaulus was a tireless lecturer who not only delivered stirring sermons from his pulpit, but also traveled extensively throughout the country and England to speak by invitation at schools, churches, and many other public venues. In 1893, he was named divinity lecturer at Yale theological seminary and was professorial lecturer at the University of Chicago. He also lectured for many years at the Chicago Theological Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a form of circuit lectures, called
Publications
Gunsaulus is the author of fifteen books dealing with a variety of topics including poetry, music, history and Christianity as well as numerous contributions to periodicals. He was also editor-in-chief for technical books published for the American School of Correspondence at Armour Institute of Technology.
Civic leadership
Dr. Gunsaulus came to Chicago when the city was swept up with a sense of urban revival after the Great Fire of 1871 and civic pride sparked by the prospect of hosting an exposition to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' epic journey to the New World. Competing against other major U.S. cities, Chicago business leaders committed $5 million to the fair and promised another $5 million if the city were selected. Noting the success of the 1876 Centennial in Philadelphia, Gunsaulus was at the core of a small group of civic-minded leaders who promoted the fair as a means to push Chicago into the international spotlight as a center for commerce, education, architecture and the arts. The civic pride, unity, energy, and vision generated by the project is fondly remembered by Chicagoans who refer to this part of the city's history as "the World's Fair period."
Often called Chicago's "First Citizen," Gunsaulus was involved in dozens of civic, educational, humanitarian and social enterprises throughout his residence in Chicago. In addition to guiding the early development of the Armour Mission, his ideas are credited with inspiring the founding of the
Collections and donations
Gunsaulus was a very active collector of books and artwork. An avid reader, he collected many books, letters and autographs written by those who appealed to him. The Butler-Gunsaulus Collection at the
Gunsaulus also understood that art, especially art shared with the masses, was a practical means to give pleasure and inspiration, thus enriching the lives of many with whom it was shared. Gunsaulus actively promoted the advancement of fine art programs within an educational context and preached that art museums, libraries and laboratories should work with colleges and universities to share enlightenment and appreciation of art. To that end, Gunsaulus not only collected art, which he donated to various institutions, but he also worked with these institutions to ensure that it was shared with as many people as possible. He was a trustee of the
Public leadership and honors
As a progressive social Chicago leader, Gunsaulus sought to influence public access to social institutions. He served as a board member of the Art Institute of Chicago (Gunsaulus Hall is named after him) and was founding board member of the
Political activities
As a Christian crusader, civic promoter and educational reformer, Gunsaulus generally did not participate in political matters. However, he was called upon many times to express his opinions on important matters of the day, particularly those that involved moral issues. His key guiding principles were "honor, tolerance, equality, and humanity." Many times he brought guest lecturers to his pulpit at Plymouth Congregational Church or to the Armour Institute. Notables included
Gunsaulus also spoke out for the freedom of Cuba in 1895 and for fair treatment of both Puerto Rico and the Philippines after the Spanish–American War. In 1908, he rebuked a religious issue in the 1908 Taft-Bryan presidential campaign (Taft's Unitarianism was harshly criticized) and used European history to point out the risks of religious bigotry. During World War I, Gunsaulus did not agree with critics who argued that the war proved that Christianity was impotent in providing moral guidance to national leaders. He believed that Christianity's gentle form of persuasion for liberty, brotherhood, goodwill and democracy, versus the rampant militarism that was killing millions, would ultimately triumph. Gunsaulus devoted much time to mobilize and shore up spiritual and moral forces behind the U.S. war effort, including speaking to soldiers before they shipped out to the European theater. He spoke out against pacifists and overly generous peace terms contemplated by President Wilson by replying rhetorically to Germany, "Master of wanton states with madness bold, I cannot trust your word. Give me your sword!"
Death
Dr. Gunsaulus died on March 17, 1921, at the age of 65 of heart failure. He suffered from several debilitating illnesses in his final years, but kept working at the Armour Institute while maintaining a demanding lecture schedule. His funeral was held at New England Congregational Church in Chicago on March 19. Officiating was Dr. Frederick F. Shannon, rector of Central Church. Dr. Shannon was assisted by Gunsaulus' brother-in-law, Dr. Clarence T. Brown of the Austin Congregational Church, and Reverend Charles W. Gilkey of the Hyde Park Baptist Church. He was buried at Forest Home Cemetery.
Gunsaulus' death was noted in newspapers throughout the United States and England. The New York Evening Post compared his oratory powers to
In a 1921 memoriam publication edited by Gunsaulus' wife, Georgeanna, Edgar A. Bancroft of the Illinois Bar Association remarked, "No citizen has ever had a broader or clearer vision of the higher possibilities of Chicago in human development, or has done more to shape the forces to realize this vision. Truly it has been said: 'He was the first citizen of his city─the incarnation of its genius and the prophecy of its future.'"
Books authored
- Monk and Knight: An Historical Study in Fiction. 1891.
- Phidias, and Other Poems. 1891. LCCN 26-5679
- Songs of Night and Day. 1896.
- Young Men in History. 1898. LCCN 98-1966
- William Ewart Gladstone: A Biographical Study. 1898. LCCN 03-28324
- The Man of Galilee: A Biographical Study of the Life of Jesus Christ. 1899. LCCN 99-5074
- Paths to Power: Central Church Sermons. 1905 LCCN 05-33035
- Paths to the City of God. 1906 LCCN 06-41778
- The Transfiguration of Christ. c1907. LCCN 07-12672
- The Higher Ministries of Recent English Poetry. 1907.
- The Minister and the Spiritual Life. c1911.
- Martin Luther and the Morning Hour in Europe; Two Lectures Delivered at the University of Chicago, October 16 and 17. c1917. LCCN 18-411
Notes
- ^ Internet Archive: Details: Monk and Knight: An Historical Study in Fiction at www.archive.org
- ^ Internet He also was the founder of Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy in Chicago, Illinois. Archive: Details: Songs of Night and Day at www.archive.org
- ^ Internet Archive: Details: The higher ministries of recent English poetry at www.archive.org
- ^ Internet Archive: Details: The Minster and the Spiritual Life at www.archive.org