Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-07-05
DR.. BYRON SUNDERLAND.
The Famous Preacher, Graduate of Mid
dlebury College, Died at Catskill, y. Y.

/
The Famous Preacher, Graduate of Mid
dlebury College, Died at Catskill, y. Y.
The death is announced, at Catskill, n.
Y, on June 30, OF Rev. DR.. Byron Sun
derland at the age of eighty-three years.
DR.. Sunderland was born in Shoreham
and graduated from Middlebury college
in 1898, the class numbering forty men.
Among his classmates were DR.. j. G..
wellington and the late +. r. Wright of
this town, besides Bishop Edgar p. Wad-
hams, of the Roman Catholic diocese of
Ogdensburg, Jonathan Avery Shepherd,
the famous educator, and many others
who made their mark at the pulpit or
bar. DR.. Sunderland had been Presby-
terian ministe for 60 years, and for 4S
years was pastor of the first Presbyterian
church in Washington.
DR.. Sunderland became widely known
as chaplain of the Senate in the trying
days of the Civil War, and again from
1873 to 1880. He was on terms of inti-
mate acquaintance with Lincoln and all
his cabinet, and with many other leading
public men at the national capital for
half century. He was one of the first
men at the side of President Garfield
when he was shot. He was a staunch
Republican In politics, and when Presi-
dent Cleveland, whose election he had
strongly opposed, had been inaugurated
Ef was not pleased with the prospect of
being pastor of the 'President's church" !"
Some visitors at his house at the time of
the inauguration were admirers of Presi-
dent Cleveland. They went to the first
reception at the White House given by
the Presidents sister, Miss Rose Eliza
beth Cleveland. and with them went Mrs.
Sunderland, but her husband declared
that it would be long time before he
would set foot in the White House.
When Mrs. Sunderland's name was heard
by the Presidents sister she recalled the
fact that her mother had a pastor of that
name many years before at Batavia.
Mrs. Sunderland was able to assure her
that her husband was the man who had
been pastor to the Presidents mother.
When Miss Cleveland selected DR.. Sund-
erland church as the one she and her
brother would attend the President and
DR.. Sunderland soon became warm
friends, and DR.. Sunderland ofliciated at
the Presidents marriage to Miss Frances
Folsom, who became member of his
church by letter. The President, al
though regular attended, never was en-
rolled in membership. As the "Presi-
dents church" the edfice in which Dr..
Sunderland preached was crowded. In
Pres ioent Cleveand's second term h.
and his family continued to attend DR..
Sunderland's church. Besides marrying
the President and Mrs. Cleveland, Dr.
Sunderland christened their children.
He was always active in Presbyterlan
Church affairs, and was many times a
commissioner to the General Assembly.
He was director of the Columbia Insti-
tute for the Deaf and Dumb, director of
the American Colonization Society and a
visitor to the Government Hospital for
the insane. He was also president of the
board of directors of Howard University
and director of Washington Lying In
Asylum. His health broke down by rea-
son of his arduous services in the early
days of the Civil War, and he went
abroad, in 1864, and for a year and half
was pastor of the American Chapel In
Paris. DR.. Sunderland was regarded as
man of kindly, genial disposition, of
scholarly attainments and of forceful
character and personally.