John W. Gowdy (Chinese: 高智約翰;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

: ''Gāozhì Yuēhàn''; Foochow Romanized: ''Gŏ̤-dé Iók-hâng''; 7 December 1869 – 1963) was a

Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...

bishop of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

and The Methodist Church, elected in 1930. He also distinguished himself as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a 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.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, an educator, and as a college and university

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Birth and family

John was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, the son of Joseph and Margaret Jane (née Graham) Gowdy. John married Elizabeth Thompson 1 July 1902. His birth name may have been John Goudy but he changed it to Gowdy, possibly to aid pronunciation. Family members who remained in the UK look to have changed the spelling to Goudie.He was the son of Joseph Goudie, a chemical works labourer who was born in Lisburn, Ireland c. 1818 – and also my great, great uncle.

Education

John graduated in 1893 from the Tilton Seminary in Tilton, New Hampshire. He then earned the

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in 1897 from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

, Middletown, Connecticut. He graduated from

Drew Theological Seminary Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

in 1902 with the B.D. degree. He then earned the

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1915 from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Ar ...

awarded him the honorary degree D.D. in 1909. Wesleyan did as well in 1914. Rev. Gowdy was also a member of the honorary fraternity

Psi Upsilon Psi Upsilon (), commonly known as Psi U, is a North American fraternity,''Psi Upsilon Tablet'' founded at Union College on November 24, 1833. The fraternity reports 50 chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America, some of which ...

Missionary and academic ministry

John Gowdy served as a teacher at the

Tilton School Tilton School is an independent, coeducational, college-preparatory school in Tilton, New Hampshire, serving students from 9th to 12th grade and postgraduate students. Founded in 1845, Tilton's student body in the 2021-22 academic year consisted ...

Tilton, New Hampshire Tilton is a town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 census, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Tilton and Lochmere and part of the village ...

, 1897–99. Following

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

graduation, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

in the New Hampshire Annual Conference of the M.E. Church. He was appointed a Missionary Teacher at the Anglo-Chinese College in Fuzhou, China, serving in this position 1902–04. He also was a Class Leader in the Heavenly Rest Methodist Church in the Fuzhou Annual Conference. The Rev. Gowdy then became President of the Anglo-Chinese College in 1904, serving until 1923. He became President of the Fukien Christian University in 1923, serving there until 1927. He also served as a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...

of both the Anglo-Chinese College, of Union Normal School in Fuzhou, and of the Tilton School in New Hampshire. He also served on the Boards of Managers of both Anglo-Chinese and of Fukien.

Episcopal ministry

John W. Gowdy was elected a bishop by the 1930 meeting of the China Central Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served as a bishop in this Central Conference until 1941. As a bishop, he was, of course, a participant in M.E. General Conferences in 1932 and 1936, the Uniting Conference of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

in 1939, and Methodist General Conferences in 1940 and 1944.

Retirement

Bishop Gowdy retired in 1941. He made his retirement home at 378 Victoria Ave.,

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was f ...

. He enjoyed history as a hobby and golf as a sport.

References