Francis C. M. Wei (; 1888–1976) was a Chinese Christian educator and the first Chinese president of

Huachung University Huachung University () was a Christian university in Wuhan, in China's Yangtze valley, originally called Boone University, was founded by the union of several Christian universities in 1924 and renamed Huachung in 1929. The university expanded unti ...

Biography

Wei grew up in a non-Christian home and was sent by his father, a tea merchant from

Zhuhai Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pearl ...

, to receive a western education at the American Episcopal missionary school, Boone College. In 1911, he both graduated with a BA from Boone and was baptized into the Episcopal Church. He stayed at Boone to teach mathematics and pursue an MA, completing a thesis on "The Political Principles of Mencius." Wei pursued another MA in comparative philosophy at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1918–1919), studying under William E. Hocking, before pursuing a PhD from the School of Economics, University of London (1927–1929), writing a thesis on "A Study of the Chinese Moral Tradition and Its Social Values." In 1925, Wei served as vice president of the newly formed

and, after completing his PhD in London, he returned to Huachung to serve as its first Chinese president from 1929 until his retirement in 1951. He was also a visiting professor at

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

(1937–1937) and was the first Henry W. Luce Visiting Professor of World Christianity at

Union Theological Seminary, New York Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

in 1945.

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wei, Francis C. M. 1888 births 1976 deaths Chinese Christian theologians Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics