Henry Willson Temple was born in Belle Center, Ohio. He graduated from Geneva College in 1883 and from the Allegheny Theological Seminary in 1887. Although ordained as a Reformed Presbyterian minister, in 1891 he became a pastor at the First United Presbyterian Church in Washington, PA. While he would remain active in the Presbyterian church for the rest of his life, in 1905 he left the ministry to take a full-time professorship in the History and Political Science Department of Washington and Jefferson College. In 1912 he was elected to the House of Representatives, representing the 24th (and later the 25th) district of Pennsylvania. He would remain in Congress for 20 years, active in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Southern Appalachian Parks Committee. After his congressional defeat in 1932, Temple returned to Washington and Jefferson College, where he served as Professor of International Relations from 1933-1948. Temple married Lucy Parr Temple on April 14, 1892. They had five children: John Parr Temple, Martha Agnes Temple Patrick (1896-1981, wife of Wilbur W. Patrick), William Jameson Temple, Henry Marshall Temple (1905-1985), and, and Edward Lawrence Temple (1909-1967).
From the description of Henry Willson Temple Papers, 1892-1952 1912-1933. (Historical Society of W Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 70792489
