Phineas Densmore Gurley (November 12, 1816 – September 30, 1868) was

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 ...

and pastor of

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The church was formed in 1859–1860 but traces its roots to 1803 as the F Street Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and anoth ...

in Washington, D.C.

Early life

Gurley was born in

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...

, on November 12, 1816,The Poets' Lincoln: Tributes in Verse to the Martyred President, by Osborn Hamiline Oldroyd, page 157. the son of Phineas and Elizabeth (née Fox) Gurley. Gurley graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, in 1837, with the highest honors of his class, and from

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 ...

in 1840.

Ministry

Gurley served First Presbyterian Church in

Indianapolis, Indiana 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 Mari ...

, (1840–1849) and First Presbyterian Church, in Dayton, Ohio, (1850–1854). In 1854, Gurley accepted a call from the F Street Church in

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, which in 1859 was united with the Second Presbyterian Church, to become the

. Gurley continued to be the pastor of the merged congregation until his death. In 1859 he was chosen

; one of fourteen Presbyterians to hold that office, to date. Gurley numbered among his worshiping congregation President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

. Lincoln was a pew holder and regular attender but not a member of the church. Gurley and his wife were frequent guests at the White House. Gurley was at Lincoln's deathbed and accompanied Mrs. Lincoln when she informed her son, Tad, of Lincoln's death. Gurley later compared the experience of the assassination with a major battle: I "felt as though I had been engaged all night in a terrible Battle and had just strength enough to drag myself off the field." He preached his funeral sermon on April 19, 1865 at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, lauding Lincoln for his commitment to American ideals: Gurley had a beautiful singing voice (his mother was a professional singer) and was a powerful speaker. Gurley took an active part in the negotiations that resulted in the union of the Old School and New School branches of the Presbyterian Church. Gurley continued to serve as pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church until his death in Washington, D.C., on September 30, 1868. He spent the last two years as moderator of the Presbyterian Church.

Personal life

Gurley married Emma Brooks on October 9, 1840. Both were natives of New York. Their children were: Frances Mary Gurley, William Brooks Gurley, Hosea Mellville Gurley, Charles Lawrence Gurley and Emma Harrison Gurley.

Archival collections

The

Presbyterian Historical Society The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is the oldest continuous denominational historical society in the United States.Smylie, James H. 1996. ''A Brief History of the Presbyterians.'' Louisville, Kentucky: Geneva Press. Its mission is to col ...

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 ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, has a collection of Gurley's sermons, correspondences, and photographs.

References

Additional references