John Price Durbin (October 10, 1800 - October 18, 1876) was an American

Methodist 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 b ...

clergyman and educator who served as

Chaplain of the United States Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

from 1831 to 1832 and president of

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

from 1833 to 1844.

Early life

Durbin was born on October 10, 1800, in

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...

, to Elizabeth "Betsy" Nunn and Hozier Durbin; he was the oldest of their five sons. While he was still young, his father died and he went to work for a cabinetmaker. He continued in this trade until his religious conversion at age 18. Durbin studied Latin, Greek and English grammar with tutors.

Career

Licensed to preach by the Methodist church, Durbin went to Ohio in 1819 in order to begin his ministry. His first church was in

Hamilton, Ohio Hamilton is a city in and the county seat of Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located north of Cincinnati, Hamilton is the second largest city in the Greater Cincinnati area and the 10th largest city in Ohio. The population was 63,399 at th ...

(1821); he entered classes at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

while serving there. After another relocation, Durbin continued his college education at

Cincinnati College The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrol ...

, from which he earned a bachelor's degree and a Master of Arts degree (1825). He was appointed professor of languages at Augusta College in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

In 1829, while teaching at Augusta College, his colleagues nominated him as Chaplain of the Senate. His nomination ended in a tie in the Senate, and Vice-President John C. Calhoun voted for another chaplain who was from the church his mother attended. Durbin was reconsidered as Chaplain of the Senate in 1831 and this time won the vote. He had not solicited the position and had been offered a position as professor of natural science at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

, but declined it so as to accept the position of Chaplain of the Senate.''The Cyclopaedia of American Biography'', Volume 2, by John Howard Brown, p. 557 Thereafter, he was editor of the ''

Christian Advocate The ''Christian Advocate'' was a weekly newspaper published in New York City by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It began publication in 1826 and by the mid-1830s had become the largest circulating weekly in the United States, with more than 30 ...

'' (1832). In 1833, Dickinson College became part of the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Church; Durbin was called to be the new president, serving until 1844. Following retirement from the college, Durbin served Union Methodist Church in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1850 he became secretary of the Missionary Society, serving until 1872, when ill health led to his retirement. His several tours of Europe and the Middle East led to well-received books which he authored. Durbin died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on October 18, 1876. He was interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

, Philadelphia.

Personal life

Durbin married Frances Budd Cook of

on September 6, 1827, in Pennsylvania. His children with Frances Cook were Lucretia, Augusta, Margaret, Alexander Cook, John Price and William. Following Frances' death he married her sister Margaret Cook in 1839.1850 and 1870 censuses; Will of Margaret C. Durbin: New York Wills, Vol 0228-0229, 1874-1875

Bibliography

''Observations in Europe, Principally in France and Great Britain''
Harper & Brothers, New York, 1844
''Observations in the East: Chiefly in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor''
Harper & Brothers, New York, 1845

Citations

Sources

* * *

External links

Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Durbin, John Price 1800 births 1876 deaths 19th-century American clergy 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American newspaper editors American cabinetmakers American Methodist clergy Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Chaplains of the United States Senate Educators from Kentucky Miami University alumni People from Paris, Kentucky Presidents of Dickinson College University of Cincinnati alumni Wesleyan University faculty