Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-06-26
BISHOP SIMPSON.
Death Of the Leading Minister of the
NJ. Z. Church.

PHILADELPHIA, June 10. - Mathew
Simpson, senior Bishop of the NJ. E.
church, died this morning.
Mathew Simpson. D. d. L. L. D., senior
Bishop of the NJ. E. church in America,
was born at Cadiz, Ohio, June 20. 1911.
He received an academic education in
the town of his birth, and went from
there to the Madison college, at Union
town, Pa. making the journey on foot.
In his eighteenth year he was elected to
the position of tutor in the Madison col
lege, where be taught some years. In
1858 he commenced the practice of med
icine, having carried on his medical
studies while be was teaching. Becom>
ing converted to the Methodist faith he
became 50 earnestly enlisted in the fur
thersnce of the Christian religion that
he entered the ministry, and in 1885 was
located in charge Of the Liberty street
NJ. E. church, Pittsburgh. The follow
ing year he took charge of congrega-
tion at Monongahela City. Madison
College, of Uniontown, having become
merged into the Allegheny college of
Meadville, Mathew Simpson was elected
Vice President. Two years later he was
transferred. to the Indiana conference.
as the Indiana Ashbury University had
conferred upon him the honor of being
its President, After eleven years in this
position, he was selected as editor of the
Western Christian Advocate, which WAS
published in Cincinnati. LII 1862 the
general conference of the NJ. E. church.
at its meeting in the city OF Boston,
elected bin to the office of bishop. He
now removed to Pittsburgh, where he
was located until 1859, when lie changed
his residence from Pittsburgh to Evans
ton, where he remained for several
years, a part of which time he was the
honorary President of the Garrett Bib
lisal institute. Later he removed to
Philadelphia, and ever since selected
that city as his residence, at the semi
annual conference. La the discharge of
the duties of his Office, Bishop Simpson
las attended conferences held in the
States and nearly all the territories, and
has made several trips to Europe upon
ecclesiastical affairs. In 1857 he Was
sent as delegate from the general con-
ference to the British-Irish conference,
and was also delegate to the Evangel-
icai alliance which met in Berlin, the
same year. On the eless of his religiess
sketk, he made an extensive tour of the
old continent. going through Turkey
and the Holy Land, and returned to the |
United States in 1858. In 1870 he was
again sent to Europe as = delegate to
the English conference of that year. In
1874 he made tour of Mexico, accom- |
panied by his wife, and the succeeding |
year went to Europe to hold the confer |
ence of Germany and Switzerland. Dur
ing the late civil war of the United |
States, he was very confidential adviser
of President Lincoln upon many things
connected with the affairs of State and |
in behalf of the union. He was held in
so high an esteem by the authorities at
Washington that with the establishment
of the Freedman's bureau the Secretary /
of War urged him to undertake the Or
ganization of the Freedmen and Presl-
dent Grant few years later invited him
to go as commissioner to Hayti. He |
refused both offers, however. In the
charch he was regarded as an authority
and looked upon with great veneratiOn
and love by his associates. At the gen.
eral conference which met in Philadel-
phia last month, Rev. Drs. Ruckley, Ian
ahah and Warren: Governor Pattison,
ex Governor John Evans, of Colorado,
and Oliver Hoyt, Esq, of New York,
presented series of resolutions highly
eulsgistic of Bishop Simpson and ex-
pressing great regret that he was unable
to preside over the conference, as usual.
These resolutions were unanimously
adopted by a rising vote, the entire aud
fence being permitted to vote with the
delegates upon this complimentary tes-
lament. Socially it has been said of
Bishop Simpson that he is one of the
most affable and agreeable gentlemen to
come in contact with, winRing all to him
by urbanity of manners, and by the warm
love for his fellowmen that beams from
his eyes. His love for little children was
very great, and they came to him without
a hesitaney, seeing ntHitively the large
place they held in his affections.