Jesse Lee Cuninggim (1870–unknown) was an American Methodist clergyman and university professor and administrator. After serving as Head of the Department of Religious Education at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, he served as the President of

Scarritt College for Christian Workers Scarritt College for Christian Workers was a college associated with the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The campus is now home to Scarritt Bennett Center. History of Scarritt College (1892–1988) The Scarritt College for C ...

, which he moved from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

Early life

Jessee Lee Cuninggim was born in 1870 in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

and a master's degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

.Southern Methodist University: Jesse Lee Cuninggim: Doctor of Divinity 1922
/ref> He also studied theology 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 ...

Career

Cuninggim served as Head of the Department of Religious Education at

. He later received an honorary Doctor of Divinity from SMU. Cuninggim then served as the President of

, then known as the Scarritt Bible and Training School, a girl's missionary seminary affiliated with 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 ...

.Vanderbilt University: Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center
In 1923, he moved it to Nashville, Tennessee, on the edge of Vanderbilt University and

Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

, and renamed it Scarritt College. His goal was to increase its academic focus. Later, he also served as Director of the Department of Ministerial Supply and Training at Vanderbilt University and taught Religion in Wesley Hall. In 1936, Cuninggim served on the Board of Trustees of

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

Personal life

Cuninggim married to Maud Lillian Merrimon Cuninggim on June 29, 1910 at the

Edenton Street United Methodist Church Edenton Street United Methodist Church is a historic United Methodist church in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, where over 1,500 people gather to worship each Sunday. Edenton Street Church was one of the first churches built in the city ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

. They had two children: *

Merrimon Cuninggim Merrimon Cuninggim (1911–1995) was a Methodist minister and university administrator. Early life Augustus Merrimon Cuninggim was born on May 11, 1911, in Nashville, Tennessee.Robert McG. Thomas, Jr.Merrimon Cuninggim, 84, Minister and Educa ...

(1911–1995) * Margaret Cuninggim

Bibliography

* ''A Plan for Better Religious Instruction in the Southern Methodist Church'' (1901). * ''The Organized Adult Bible Class'' (1908). * ''The Making of a Ministry'' (1910). * ''The Family of God'' (1948). * ''The Administration and Organization of the Sunday School''. * ''A Better System of Ministerial Training for the Church''Google Books
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuninggim, Jesse Lee 1870 births Academics from North Carolina Religious leaders from North Carolina Educators from Nashville, Tennessee University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni University of Chicago alumni Vanderbilt University alumni Southern Methodist University faculty Vanderbilt University faculty Methodists from North Carolina Year of death missing Southern Methodists Duke University trustees