Reuben Denton Nevius (1827 – 14 December 1913) was an American botanist and Episcopal priest, missionary, and the first registrar of the Diocese of
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region.
European ...
.
Born in
Ovid, New York
Ovid is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 2,919 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the Roman poet Ovid, a name assigned by a clerk interested in the classics.
The Town of Ovid contains a village also ...
, the Rev. Reuben Denton Nevius received in 1849 his D.D. from Union College in
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 1850, Nevius went to
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
for further religious study. After ordination, he served as an Episcopal priest in
Wetumpka, Alabama
Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the f ...
.
In 1872, Nevius was given the ecclesiastical responsibility for a wide circuit in eastern Oregon, where he established seven new congregations. His circuit-riding responsibilities later included eastern Washington and Idaho. He directed the building of many new churches, some of which are still standing.
[
Asa Gray named the plant genus '']Neviusia
''Neviusia'', the snow-wreaths, is a genus of ornamental plants, which are native to the United States, containing two extant species and one extinct species known from fossil leaves. This genus is a rare example of a disjunct range occurring ...
'' in his honor. There has been a controversy over assigning credit for the discovery of this genus.[
]
Bibliography
*Albert Allen, ''Mission Accomplished: The Life of Reuben Denton Nevius, D.D.'' (New York: Vantage Press, 1998).
*David Powers and Gregory Nelson, ''A Gentleman of the Old School: Reuben Denton Nevius, 1827-1913, Botanist, Builder, Teacher, Churchman'' (Keizer, Oregon: Gregory L. Nelson, 2001).
See also
* St. John's Episcopal Church (Olympia, Washington)
References
External links
St. Mary's By-The-Sea Episcopal Church: The Rev. Dr. Reuben Denton Nevius (1827–1913), blog post 29 January 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevius, Reuben Denton
1827 births
1913 deaths
American Episcopal clergy
American botanists
Union College (New York) alumni
Scientists from New York (state)
19th-century American Episcopalians