James Cooley Fletcher (1823–1901) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister and

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

with strong activities in Brazilian lands. Fletcher was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, the son of Calvin Fletcher, a banker and one of the first settlers of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. James Cooley Fletcher graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1846, and studied theology for two years in the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

under

Charles Hodge Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theol ...

. His studies were completed in Europe, as he sought to improve his French in order to become a missionary in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. In that period, he married a daughter of

César Malan Henri Abraham César Malan (July 7, 1787 – May 8, 1864) was a Swiss Protestant minister and hymn-writer. Life Malan was born in Geneva, Republic of Geneva and was a believing Christian from childhood. After completing his education, he went to ...

, a minister from

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. In 1852 he went to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

(at that time the capital of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

) as an agent of both the American Christian Union and

American Seamen's Friend Society American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. The American Christian Union worked together with the

American Bible Society American Bible Society is a U.S.-based Christian nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As the American member organization of United Bible Societies, it supports global Bible translation, production, distribution, literacy, engage ...

and the

American Tract Society The American Tract Society (ATS) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825, in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating tracts of Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back thro ...

. He went back to the USA in 1854, shortly after his daughter

Julia Constance Fletcher Julia Constance Fletcher (1853–1938) was an author and playwright who professionally went by the pseudonym of George Fleming. She was born in Brazil in 1853, the daughter of James Cooley Fletcher (1823-1901) and granddaughter of the banker ...

was born. In 1855, Fletcher went back to Brazil as an agent of the

American Sunday School Union InFaith has its roots in the First Day Society (founded 1790). InFaith officially formed in 1817 as the “Sunday and Adult School Union.” In 1824, the organization changed its name to American Sunday School Union (ASSU). Then, in 1974, the ASSU ...

. During this trip he traveled more than 5,000 kilometers through Brazil, giving out

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

s. His travels to Brazil, added to the experiences of the Methodist minister and missionary

Daniel Parish Kidder Daniel Parish Kidder (October 18, 1815 – July 29, 1891) was an American Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Episcopal theologian and writer who spent several years in Brazil. Biography Kidder was born in Darien, New York on October 18, ...

, became the focus of a book in 1857, ''

Brazil and the Brazilians Portrayed in Historical and Descriptive Sketches Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...

'',CARVALHO, José Murilo, "''"Perfis brasileiros - D. Pedro II"'', Cia das Letras, São Paulo, 2007, pg. 158 a pioneering depiction of Brazil for the American people, with at least eight editions. In 1862, Fletcher sailed more than 3,000 kilometers through the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

to collect species for professor

Louis Agassiz Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history. Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...

. This resulted in the Agassiz expedition of 1865. In 1864 and 1865, Fletcher and the liberal Brazilian politician

Aureliano Cândido Tavares Bastos Aureliano Cândido Tavares Bastos ( – ) was a Brazilian politician, writer and journalist. He was a supporter of federalism within the Empire of Brazil. The familial surname is ''Tavares Bastos''. Early life Tavares Bastos was the firs ...

convinced the governors of Brazil and the USA to set up a

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

line between Rio de Janeiro and New York. Influenced by Fletcher, Aureliano and other Brazilian politicians tried and in some cases managed to make many political, social and economic reforms in Brazil; they also encouraged European and North American migrants. In 1868 and 1869, Fletcher worked as an agent for the

. This would be his last journey to Brazil. Thereafter he was nominated consul at

Oporto, Portugal Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, between 1869 and 1873, and was a missionary in

Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

between 1873 and 1877. In 1877, he returned to Indianapolis, where he settled. His daughter stayed in Italy, where she became a prolific writer with the pen name George Fleming. Fletcher left many important friends in Brazil, including liberal politicians and intellectuals as well as the emperor Dom Pedro II. He worked as a North American diplomatic secretary, and his book left a strong image of Brazil in the USA. In Brazil, he left behind a strong desire for Protestant and Anglo-Saxon values.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, James Cooley 1823 births 1901 deaths People from Indianapolis American Presbyterian ministers American Presbyterian missionaries Presbyterian missionaries in Brazil Presbyterian missionaries in Haiti American expatriates in Haiti American expatriates in Brazil Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Brown University alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century American clergy