Charles Claude Selecman (1874–1958) was an American Methodist minister and educator. He served as the third President of

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

from 1923 to 1938. In 1938, he was elected as an

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bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in the

Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...

Early life

Charles Claude Selecman was born on October 13, 1874, in

Savannah, Missouri Savannah is a city and county seat of Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,069 at the 2020 census. History Savannah was founded in 1841. The city was named after Savannah Woods, the child of a first settler. A post offic ...

. In 1882, he attended Central College in

Fayette, Missouri Fayette is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 2,803 at the 2020 census. History Fayette was laid out in 1823. The ...

, but never graduated.

Career

Selecman worked as a

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

Pattonsburg, Missouri Pattonsburg is a city in northwest Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 314 at the 2020 census. History Pattonsburg's current location is four miles north of the previous spot, Old Pattonsburg, as it is referred to toda ...

, in 1898. Later, he was a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, 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.Tho ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and Missouri. In 1913, he was a pastor in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. By 1914, he became the pastor of the newly built

Trinity Auditorium The Trinity Auditorium, later known as the Embassy Hotel, is a historic building in Los Angeles, California. It was built as a plant for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1914. The Los Angeles Philharmonic debuted in this auditorium in 1919 ...

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

. Selecman moved to

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, in 1920, where he became the pastor of the newly built First Methodist Church, South. Three years later, he was appointed as the third President of

, serving from 1923 to 1938. Under his leadership, the campus buildings went from two to seven, and the endowment from US$883,000 to US$2,300,000. Selecman resigned in 1938 and became a

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

. He moved back to Dallas in 1944. In 1945, he was elected President of the Council of Bishops of the Methodist Church. He also served as the President of the Methodist General Board of Evangelism. Selecman retired in 1948, and was elected to the Methodist Hall of Fame in philanthropy in 1951.

Personal life

Selecman married Bess Kyle Beckner on April 27, 1899. They had a son, Dr. Frank Selecman, who married Eloise Olive and had two children - Charles Edward Selecman and Mary Selecman Deaton and a daughter, Josephine, who married Douglas Warren Forbes. Bess died in 1943 and Selecman married his second wife, Jackie (Mrs. Pierre D. Mason of Hollywood, California,) in June 1948. Bishop Selecman had 3 great-grandchildren; Cyndy Selecman Morgan (deceased 11-15-12), Betsi Selecman Schaefer, and Amie Selecman.

Death

Selecman died on March 27, 1958, in Dallas, Texas.

Publications

* ''The Methodist First Reader "On Being a Christian"'', by Charles Claude Selecman * ''The Methodist Primer'', by Charles Claude Selecman

References