Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton (August 9, 1866 in Pleasant Valley, Ohio – May 4, 1918) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1916.

Birth and family

Franklin was the son of the Rev. William Patrick and Henrietta (Dean) Hamilton. He married Mary Mackie Pierce April 25, 1895. They had the following children: Edward Pierce, Arthur Dean, and Elisabeth Louise. Hamilton was the younger brother of John William Hamilton, also a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Education

Franklin graduated from the

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

in 1883. He then earned the A.B. degree at Harvard University in 1887. He went on to earn the S.T.B. degree (1892) and the Ph.D. degree in 1899 at Boston University. He was also elected Phi Beta Kappa. Hamilton continued his education with three years of post-graduate work at Berlin University, Germany, and in Paris, France.

Ordained and academic ministry

Hamilton entered the New England Annual Conference of the M.E. Church in 1891. He was appointed to East Boston. He then became the pastor at Newtonville. His final pastorate was First Methodist of Boston. Hamilton made a tour around the world in 1904–1905 in support of student missions He was elected a delegate to the M.E. General Conferences of 1908–1916, as well as the Ecumenical conference of 1911. He also was the president of the Old South Historical Society of Boston. In 1907 Hamilton became the

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

, Washington, D.C., serving in this position until elected to the episcopacy in 1916. He served as a trustee of American before being elected chancellor. His office was located at 1422 F St., N.W. in Washington, D.C. He maintained two homes: at the

Hotel Hamilton A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

in Washington, and in Milton, Massachusetts.

Episcopal ministry

Hamilton was elected to the episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the 1916 General Conference of that denomination. He served as resident bishop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from then until his death in 1918.

Selected writings

*''Why Did the Pilgrim Fathers Come to America'' *''250th Anniversary Founding of Harvard University'' *''200th Anniversary of the Birth of

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

'' *Cup of Fire, Methodist Book Concern, 1914. *contributions to magazines.

References

*The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Churc

*Price, Carl F., Compiler and Editor: Who's Who in American Methodism, New York: E.B. Treat & Co., 1916.
History of Pittsburgh and Environs, vol. 2; Chapter 22, "The Ecclesiastical History", p. 51

External links

College Portrait Photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Boston University School of Theology alumni Chancellors and presidents of American University Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church American Methodist Episcopal bishops 1866 births 1918 deaths American historians of religion Harvard University alumni Boston Latin School alumni Writers from Washington, D.C. People from Milton, Massachusetts 20th-century Methodist bishops Historians from Massachusetts