Collins Denny (May 28, 1854 – May 12, 1943) was an American clergyman and educator. He was Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy at

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 ...

from 1891 to 1910. He served as

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 ...

from 1910 to 1943.

Early life

Collins Denny was born in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, on May 28, 1854. His father was William R. Denny and his mother, Margaret A. Collins. He had a sister, later married to M. D. James of

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Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Denny was educated in Winchester. He graduated

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, where he was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the 1875 football team. He attended graduate school at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, and received a Doctorate of Divinity from

Randolph–Macon College Randolph–Macon College is a private liberal arts college in Ashland, Virginia. Founded in 1830, the college has an enrollment of more than 1,500 students. It is the second-oldest Methodist-run college in the country, and the oldest in continu ...

Emory and Henry College Emory & Henry College (E&H or Emory) is a private liberal arts college in Emory, Virginia. The campus comprises of Washington County, which is part of the Appalachian highlands of Southwest Virginia. Founded in 1836, Emory & Henry College is ...

, and

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

Career

Denny entered the ordained ministry of the Baltimore

Annual Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

of the M.E. Church, South in 1880. Denny was Professor of Moral and Mental Philosophy at

from 1891 to 1910. Much of the coursework relied on the writings of Noah K. Davis, due to Denny's admiration of Davis. One of his students was

John Crowe Ransom John Crowe Ransom (April 30, 1888 – July 3, 1974) was an American educator, scholar, literary critic, poet, essayist and editor. He is considered to be a founder of the New Criticism school of literary criticism. As a faculty member at Kenyon ...

. When he became ordained as bishop in 1910, Denny tried to "impose theological control over the university." As a result, he was dismissed by Chancellor

James Hampton Kirkland James Hampton Kirkland (September 9, 1859 – August 5, 1939) was an American Latinist and university administrator. He served as the second chancellor of Vanderbilt University from 1893 to 1937. Early life James Hampton Kirkland was born ...

, and replaced by

Herbert Charles Sanborn Herbert Charles Sanborn (February 18, 1873 – July 6, 1967) was an American philosopher, academic and one-time political candidate. He was the Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Psychology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, ...

. Denny never accepted the legitimacy of the Methodist Church, preferring to regard himself as a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He was retired as a bishop in 1932, but continued to challenge the proposed unification of the M.E. Church and M.E. Church, South. He and his son, Collins Denny Jr., took their legal challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that it had no jurisdiction in the matter, which ended all challenges to the 1939 unification of The Methodist Church. Prior to his election to the

episcopacy 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 ...

, Collins toured Asiatic Missions, 1886–87. He served as the

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the

, 1889–91. As a bishop he was a member of the Fourth Ecumenical Conference,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 1911.

Personal life

Denny married Lucy Chase Chapman. They had a son,

Collins Denny Jr. Collins Denny Jr. (1899–1964) was a Virginia lawyer who became known for his opposition to racial integration. He was a legal counsel to public school boards, arguing against the school segregation in the United States, integration of black st ...

, who became a pro-segregationist lawyer in Virginia. They also had four daughters, all of whom were married: Mrs John W. Dixon of

Parksley, Virginia Parksley is a town in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 842 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Eastern Shore Railway Museum. Geography Parksley is located at (37.785078, -75.654222). According to the United States ...

; Mrs Eugene E. Vann of

Leonia, New Jersey Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 8,937,Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

Death and legacy

Denny died May 12, 1943 in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He was buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Richmond.

Selected writings

*''Sketch of Life of

Joshua Soule Joshua Soule (August 1, 1781 – March 6, 1867) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (elected in 1824), and then of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Birth and rebirth Born to Joshua and Mary (Cushman) Soule at Broad ...

,'' Old Baltimore Conference, J.E. Armstrong, 1907. *Analysis, Davis: ''Elements of Deductive Logic,'' and of his ''Elements of Psychology,'' 1916. *Address: ''Review of Existing Situation,'' Working Conference on Methodist Union, 1916. *A Manual of the ''Discipline'' of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Decisions of the College of Bishops, 1931. Originally prepared by H.N. McTyeire, revised and enlarged. *The Legal Action Required to Adopt the Proposed Plan of Methodist Union, Richmond, May 19, 1937. Manifold personally signed by Collins Denny and Collins Denny, Jr. In the '' Methodist Bishops' Collection.''

References