The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-21
THE REV. DIR. LEETE CALLED.
Unanimous Vote Passed by the Dwight
Place Congregational Church.

| Unanimous Vote Passed by the Dwight
Place Congregational Church.
| At meeting of the congregation of
the Dwight Place Congregational church
last night it was unanimously voted to
extend a call to the Rev DR.. w. w.
Leete, at present pastor of the First
| Congregational church of Rockford, Ill.
| This action was ratified by the Ecclesi-
astical society of the church, which met
| Immediately after, and upon motion j.
| C. North was instructed to notify the
Rev. DIR. Leete of the action of the
church and also of the society. This
notification will be sent to him this
morning.
| Previous to the taking of the vote by
the members of the church Mr.. North,
as chairman of the committee appoint
ed to recommend a pastor, read report
of the work done by that body. 1t was
the opinion of those present that the
committee has been very careful and
painstaking, and as evidence of their
appreciation of the efforts a motion was
passed commencing the members of the
committee for the speed with which
they have acted. Mr.. North said that
an unusually large number of applica-
tons had been received and that one
or more of the committee had been
present at services conducted by quite
a number of the applicants. In decid-
ing to recommend the Rev. DIR. Leete 1t
was stated that he had been suggested
by several very prominent ministers
who know him, and that all they had
said about him was substantiated by
many others. Besides this the COM
mittee and several members of the con-
gregation had heard him preach in Mil
ford two weeks ago, and that on last
Sunday he was listened to by the whole
congregation. This happened in rather
a peculiar way. Mrs. Leete is a niece
of Governor Lounsbury, having been
raised in Ridgefeld, Conn DR.. Leete
and his wife came to Connecticut to at
tend the Inauguration of Governor
Lounsbury. He later accepted an in
vitation to preach at Milford, and his
sermon so thoroughly pleased all those
who heard him that he was invited to
preach at Dwight Place church. This
furnished an admirable opportunity for
the committee to judge of the man, and
they were so favorably impressed thai
j. Y McDermott was sent to Rockford
to investigate. He found every one
loud in his praise of the Rev. DR.. Leete
and at the meeting last night Mr.. Nc
Dermott reported concerning his visit.
1t is stated that if the call is accepted
the new pastor cannot come to New
Haven before the first of April
The Rev. DR.. Leete is about forty
three years of age. He was graduated
from Amherst college in the class of ~
and from the Yale Theological school in
the class of 80, being classmate Of the
Rev. George B. Stevens and Professor
Blackman of this city. He afterward
took a postgraduate course at Yale.
His first charge was in Ridgefleld,
Conn where he preached for several
years. He was married while in Ridge
field For the past ten years he has
been pastor of the First Congregational
church of Rockford. He is moderator
of the State Conference of Illinois and
one of the nine directors of the Home |
Mission association of Illinois.