Central Wesleyan College was a private college sponsored by the

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

in Warrenton,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, from 1864 to 1941.Central Wesleyan College Archives - truman.edu - Retrieved September 23, 2009
/ref>

History

Central Wesleyan College Warrenton Mo 1878

The college has its roots in the German and English College founded in 1854 in Quincy,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, to train ministers for the German Methodist Episcopal Church. The English portion closed in 1863 as descendants of German immigrants were more numerous and interested in continuing their church traditions. Church members founded the new school in Warrenton with the stated purposes of providing homes for orphans of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and to supply a "higher educational institute for the youth of the German Church in the West." Founders purchased a campus for the Western Orphan Asylum and Educational Institute. In 1869, the name was changed to Central Wesleyan College and Orphan Asylum. In 1884, the two organizations split: Central Wesleyan College and Central Wesleyan Orphan Home. In 1909 the German College of Mount Pleasant,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, merged with the college, which was renamed the Central Wesleyan College and German Theological Seminary. In 1912 the college was among the original founders of the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association. After public universities took over the Mid-America athletic conference, in 1924 Central was among the founders of the

Missouri College Athletic Union The Missouri College Athletic Union (MCAU) was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from 1924 to 1971. It consisted primarily of private universities from the state of Missouri that departed the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Asso ...

.MIAA History
/ref> The records of Ozark Wesleyan College of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

, were added to the

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It had 4,225 enrolled students in the fall of 2021 pursuing degrees in 52 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The university is named for U.S. Presiden ...

Library and Archives in the 1920s.

Junior college

It was reclassified as a

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

in 1930, awarding two-year degrees.

Closing

Faced with financial troubles in the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, the college closed in 1941. Its grounds were sold in 1946 at auction. In 1947,

bought its records.

Notable alumni

* Herb Hake - cartoonist *

Carl Lutz Carl Lutz (30 March 1895 – 12 February 1975) was a Swiss diplomat. He served as the Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest, Hungary, from 1942 until the end of World War II. He is credited with saving over 62,000 Jews during the Second World War in a ...

(1895–1975), Swiss vice-consul to Hungary during WWII, credited with saving over 62,000 Jews *

John Louis Nuelsen John Louis Nuelsen (January 19, 1867 – 1946) was a German-American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and The Methodist Church, elected in 1908. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist pastor, as a college and seminary professo ...

- Methodist Bishop *

Leonidas C. Dyer Leonidas Carstarphen Dyer (June 11, 1871 – December 15, 1957) was an American politician, reformer, civil rights activist, and military officer. A Republican, he served eleven terms in the U.S. Congress as a U.S. Representative from Missouri ...

- Congressman *

John H. Hellweg John H. Hellweg (December 4, 1844 – July 28, 1931) was an American businessman and politician. Hellweg was born in Keokuk County, Iowa and went to the public schools. During the American Civil War, he served in the 35th Iowa Volunteer Infan ...

- Wisconsin state legislator and businessman * Theodore W. Hukriede - Congressman *

Henry F. Niedringhaus Henry Frederick Niedringhaus (December 15, 1864 – August 3, 1941) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri's 10th congressional district. He was a nephew of Frederick Gottlieb Niedringhaus. Born in St. Louis, Missouri to German immigrants, Ni ...

- Congressman *

William A. Rodenberg William August Rodenberg (October 30, 1865 – September 10, 1937) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Born near Chester, Illinois, the son of German immigrants, Rodenberg attended the public schools. He graduated from Central Wesleyan ...

- Congressman

References

External links

Central Wesleyan College Archives at Truman State University
{{Coord, 38.8122693, -91.1407042, display=title Buildings and structures in Warren County, Missouri Educational institutions established in 1864 1941 disestablishments in Missouri 1864 establishments in Missouri