Joseph Gallup Cochran (1817–1871), was an American Presbyterian missionary to Qajar Iran, as well as a minister, theologian, teacher, and translator of ancient Syriac texts.

Early life and education

Joseph Gallup Cochran was born 5 February 1817 in Springville,

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to parents Catharine (née Gallup) and Samuel Cochran. His father Samuel Cochran was Scottish and immigrated to the United States in the early 19th century, eventually becoming a founder of the town of Springville. The Cochran family had once fled Scotland to

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due to King James. His mother was of French descent and was distantly related to Benjamin Franklin. Cochran attended high school at Springville Academy (later known as Springville Griffith Institute). He attended

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

and graduated in 1842; followed by study at Union Theological Seminary from 1844 to 1847. Cochran was ordained on June 10, 1847 at Buffalo Presbyterian in Springville.

Career

Shortly following his completion of studies, Cochran married Deborah Wilson Plumb in 1847 and they started the process to move to Qajar Iran under the sponsorship of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). The landed in Urmia, Qatar Iran in June 1848. He worked with the

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and the Christian Assyrian community (then known as " Nestorians", which is no longer a preferred term). Cochran served as the principal (and associate principal) at the mission seminary in the nearby town of Seer (also known as Seir) from 1849 to 1865, and again in 1865 to 1871. Cochran had been a prolific author and translator of Syriac, and this work helped better equip the missionary preachers and teachers. Additionally he was able to preserve some of the ancient Syriac writings for future generations. He is thought to be the author of the anonymously published book, ''The Persian Flower: A Memoir of Judith Grant Perkins of Oroomiah, Persia'' (1853, Boston) about the daughter of fellow missionary Justin Perkins.

Death and legacy

In the year he died, 1871, the ABCFM mission was turned over to the Presbyterians. He died 2 November 1871 of typhoid fever in Urmia, and is buried at the American Mission Graveyard in the town of Seer. Additionally he has a gravestone at the Maplewood Cemetery in Springville. His son, Joseph Plumb Cochran was a medical doctor and continued his missionary work in the West Azerbaijan Province.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, Joseph Gallup 1817 births 1871 deaths American Presbyterian missionaries Presbyterian missionaries in Iran People from Springville, New York People from Urmia Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni Amherst College alumni 19th-century American translators Translators from Syriac American Presbyterian ministers American Presbyterians Burials in Iran American expatriates in Iran Deaths from typhoid fever