George Seaman Gray (July 10, 1835 – August 26, 1885) was an American minister and author.

Biography

Gray, eldest son of John and Jane E. (Seaman) Gray, was born in New York City, July 10, 1835. He was prepared for College at the age of fourteen, but was then on account of his youth put into a business house for four years. He entered

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in February, 1854 and graduated in 1857. On leaving College he spent two years in the

Auburn Theological Seminary Auburn Theological Seminary, located in New York City, teaches students about progressive social issues by offering workshops, providing consulting, and conducting research on faith leadership development. The seminary was established in Auburn, N ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

, N. Y , and a third year in Union Seminary, New York City. For a year he preached as a stated supply in the suburbs of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Maine, and in the meantime married, May 1, 1861, Sarah Brown, the only daughter of Robert Brown, of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and sister of a classmate. Later, he supplied the Presbytenan Church in Englewood, New Jersey, from the spring of 1862, till February, 1863, during the regular pastor's absence, but a constitutional weakness of the throat induced him to relinquish preaching, after this time. He was then solicited to open a preparatory school for boys in Englewood, and spent over three years in that employment. In 1866 he removed to Cincinnati and entered into business, in which he spent the rest of his life. He died in Cincinnati, after a short illness from

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

, August 26, 1885, in his 51st year. His wife survived him, without children. Gray was an honored elder in the

Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its pastor is the Rev. Stacey Midge, who holds a Masters of Divinity from Western Theological Seminary, 2003. History The conception o ...

, from December, 1871, until his death, except for a brief interval of voluntary retirement; and as the faithful teacher for half that time of a very large class in the

Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

exercised a great influence over the young. He published anonymously in 1884 a volume entitled ''Eight Studies on the Lord's Day'', which attracted attention widely as a scholarly and thoughtful defense of the Christian

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:gray, george seaman 1835 births 1885 deaths Yale College alumni Auburn Theological Seminary alumni Union Theological Seminary alumni American Presbyterian ministers American religious writers American male non-fiction writers 19th-century American clergy