Charles Betts Galloway Jr. (September 1, 1849 – May 12, 1909) was an American
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...
, elected in 1886.
[Bishop Galloway Dead – Was Most Eminent Divine of Methodist Episcopal Church South]
NYTimes.com" (PDF). query.nytimes.com. Retrieved April 9, 2017. In his day, he was "the best-known and most influential personality in the Methodist world."
He was also instrumental in the formation of
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...
.
Early life
Galloway was born in
Kosciusko, Mississippi
Kosciusko is a city in Attala County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,402 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Attala County.
History
Shortly before the War of 1812, David Choate, a French trader along with his wife, a Ch ...
.
His parents were Elizabeth Adelaide (née Dinkins) and Charles Betts Galloway, a successful doctor.
[Candler, Warren A. (1927). ]
Bishop Charles Betts Galloway, a Prince of Preachers and a Christian Statesman
” Nashville, TN: Cokesbury Press. ''via'' the Hathi Trust. Accessed March 10, 2022 He was their second child and oldest son.
Galloway was eleven when the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
began; he recalled watching the soldiers leaving and made a
bayonet
A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
from his knife as he was "determined to carve in pieces any
Yankee
The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United St ...
who dared invade the soil of Mississippi."
When he was fourteen, the family moved to
Canton, Mississippi
Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,189 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, and situated in the northern part of th ...
because it provided better opportunities for his father's medical practice.
He attended public school before going to the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
on January 3, 1866.
Sixteen-year-old Galloway enrolled directly into the sophomore class was probably the youngest student; more than half of his 24 classmates had fought in the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
One of his classmates recalled, "Galloway was in the front rank of his class…"
He also joined the social and literary Fraternity of Delta Psi (
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the Calendar of saints, feast day of Anthony the Great, Saint Anthony the Great. The frater ...
).
[Kappa Sigma (1912). ']
aduceus of Kappa Sigma
'. Vol. 28. p. 236. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
His first semester, Galloway attended a prayer meeting held in a classmate's room that significantly changed his perspective on religion.
When at home In Canton, Galloway talked to his pastor at the Methodist Church and decided to become a minister.
He continued his studies, graduating in June 1868.
Career
Immediately after graduation in June, Galloway was licensed to preach with the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...
.
However, the next session when he could be ordained was not until December, so he accepted a position at
Sharon College, teaching young men in preparatory department and overseeing the pastoral.
At the church's Mississippi Annual Conference December 8-15, 1868, Galloway became a deacon of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
.
The church assigned him to its Black Hawk Circuit of the
Yazoo District.
One newspaper wrote, "Although only 18 years of age, his powers as an orator and preacher made him instantly famous."
In 1871, he was ordained an elder and appointed to South Warren in the
Vicksburg District. However, Galloway ended up getting sent to
Canton to fill an emergency vacancy, returning to South Warren at the end of the year.
He was officially assigned to Canton from 1872 to 1873.
At the Conference in December 1873, he was appointed to the church in
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
where he remained for four years.
In 1877, he was assigned to the Crawford Street Methodist Church in
Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to:
* Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States
* The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign
* The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle
Vicksburg is also the name of ...
, also for four years.
While in Vicksburg, Galloway became an advocate of the
temperance movement
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
.
In 1881, Galloway returned to the church in
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
.
At the church's General Conference in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
in May 1882, he was elected editor of the '
ew Orleans Christian Advocate'' a weekly newspaper sponsored by Methodist conferences in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, and
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
This editorial work was in addition to his job with the church in Jackson.
In 1884, he was given a "lighter" assignment with the church in
Brookhaven which was also closer to the newspaper's headquarters in New Orleans, reducing his time traveling .
This allowed Galloway to focus more of the ''Advocate,'' bringing his unique analysis of "questions which involved the moral and religious life in the country…."
He not only wrote about church affairs, but also about politics, religion, travel, and State affairs.
During this time, he also wrote two books: ''The Prohibition Handbook'' and a biography of Bishop
Linus Parker
Linus Parker (23 April 1829 – 5 March 1885) was a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, elected in 1882.
Birth and family
Linus was born on a farm near Vienna, Oneida County, New York. He married Sarah E.F. Sale in 1853. She died o ...
''.''
He also was invited to speak before the
Mississippi Press Association
The Mississippi Press Association is a trade association located in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi, which represents newspapers from Mississippi that are published at least weekly and are for sale to a general readership.
Erle Johnston, ...
on May 15, 1884.
Galloway served as editor of the ''New Orleans Christian Advocate'' from June 1882 to May 1886.
When he was 36 years old in May 1886, Galloway was elected to be a
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
In that capacity, he convened an Indian Mission Conference in the
Eufaula, Indian Territory (now
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
) on October 20-25, 1886; in December of that year he also held annual conferences in Arkansas and Texas.
He returned to Indian Territory in June 1887 for an International Indian Council that included representatives from eighteen tribes.
Galloways wrote warmly and respectfully of the tribes, and was impressed with their government.
He noted, "The speech by 'Poor Buffalo,' a
Kiowa
Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...
chief, impressed me as no other appeal I ever heard in my life."
During his 23 years as bishop, he presided over 123 annual conferences.
He preached across the United States and visited field mission operations in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, Ceylon (now
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
),
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
.
Sometimes he spent months in a country or held annual conferences, other times his stay was short—but he would always visit any mission in the area, regardless of denomination.
As he traveled, he wrote letters that were published and widely read back in the United States.
As a bishop, Galloway also preached to African-Americans whenever he could.
After overseeing the dedication of a new black church on a former plantation, he wrote an appeal for whites to financially support the construction of churches and schools for blacks.
Although he also called for whites to teach in the black schools, Galloway believed in
separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
.
Academic institutions
Perhaps because of his conversion at college, one of his platforms as bishop was the importance of required religious education in colleges.
In 1889, Galloway made the motion at an annual conference for the church to create a new college called Millsaps.
Reuben Webster Millsaps
Reuben Webster Millsaps (May 30, 1833 - June 28, 1916) was an American businessman, financier and philanthropist.
Early years
Reuben Webster Millsaps was born on May 30, 1833 in Pleasant Valley, Copiah County, Mississippi.[Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...]
; Galloway raised the matching $50,000.
Galloway became president of the Board of Trustees of
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi. It was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
History
The college was founded in 1889–90 by a Confederate veteran, Major Reuben Webster M ...
for the rest of his life.
Around 1900, Galloway became chairman of the Board of Education of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
When Methodists in Arkansas expressed an interest in starting a church-run college for women, Galloway fully endorse the project—the result was Galloway College.
He was also an effective advocate for the establishment of
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a stude ...
and
Henderson-Brown College, both also in Arkansas.
Later, he was president of the board of trustees for
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
.
He also served on the board of the John F. Slater Fund, a scholarship fund for African Americans
Honors
* June 17, 1882, the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
gave Galloway an
honorary Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
.
* Galloway received an honorary
Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...
from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in 1894, and from
Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
in 1904.
* In 1889, a Methodist women's college was dedicated in his honor.
Galloway Collage in Arkansas operated under that name until it merged with
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a stude ...
in 1933.
*
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a stude ...
in
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Although considered a suburb of Little Rock, Conway is unusual in that ...
named a women's dormitory in his honor.
* The day of his funeral, all branches of federal, state, county, and local government in Mississippi remained closed.
* In
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
, Galloway Elementary School and Galloway Memorial Church were both named in his honor.
Publications
* '
he Prohibition Handbook: Specially Designed for Circulation in the State of Mississippi' (Jackson: Mississippi State Prohibition Executive Committee,1886)
*
''The Editor-Bishop, Linus Parker, His Life and Writings'' (Nashville: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, 1886)
*
A Circuit of the Globe' (Nashville: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, South,1895)
* Modern Missions: Their Evidential Value (Nashville: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1896)
*
Eminent Methodists: Twelve Booklets in One Book' (Nashville: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, South,1897)
*
Christianity in the American Commonwealth or, The Influence of Christianity in Making this Nation' (Nashville: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1898)
*
The South and the Negro: An Address Delivered at the Seventh Annual Conference for Education in the South, Birmingham, Ala., April 26th, 1904' (New York: Southern Education Board, 1904)
*
Jefferson Davis, a Judicial Estimate; Address Delivered by Bishop Charles B. Galloway at the University of Mississippi, June 3, 1908" (''Bulletin of the University of Mississippi'', Series VI, Supplement to No. 3, 1908)
*
Great Men and Great Movements: A Volume of Addresses' (Nashville: Publishing House Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1914)
Personal
Galloway became engaged to his future wife, Harriet E. Willis when they were thirteen and fourteen.
However, they did not marry until September 1, 1869, on his 20th birthday.
They had a son, E. S. Galloway, who attended
Millsaps Collage and became a doctor in
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
; he was also Secretary of the Mississippi State Board of Health.
When he became bishop, Galloway had offers from communities across the South, but he established Jackson as his home base in 1889.
On his second trip to Asia, eight years after his first trip in 1894, Galloway took his wife with him.
He wrote, "To be separated by eight thousand miles from a treasure so sacred has already caused many an aching heartthrob."
Galloway gave the commencement speech at the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
on June 3, 1911—it was also the 100th anniversary of
Jefferson Davis' birth.
He closed his speech with, "Soldier, hero, statesman, gentleman, American, prince of Christian chivalry, the uncrowned Chief of an invisible republic of loving and loyal hearts, when another hundred years have passed, no intelligent voice will fail to praise him and no patriotic hand will refuse to place a laurel wreath on his radiant brow."
In 1909, Galloway died of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
and a heart condition at his home in
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
.
He had also been ill with
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...
.
He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery following a service at First Methodist Church in Jackson. Bishop
Warren A. Candler of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
conducted the service.
Galloway's younger brother, James, also became a Methodist Episcopal pastor.
References
Additional resources
*Leete, Frederick DeLand (1948) ''Methodist Bishops''. Nashville, The Parthenon Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galloway, Charles Betts
1849 births
1909 deaths
People from Kosciusko, Mississippi
People from Canton, Mississippi
University of Mississippi alumni
St. Anthony Hall
Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
American Methodist bishops
19th-century American clergy
People from Jackson, Mississippi
Millsaps College
Vanderbilt University people
19th-century American non-fiction writers
American Methodists