Parker, Theodore, 1810-1860.

Unitarian minister and reformer.

Rev. Theodore Parker (1810-1860), Unitarian minister, social reformer, and publicist, was born in Lexington, Mass., a grandson of Captain John Parker (1729-1775) of Revolutionary fame. Parker graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1836, became minister of West Roxbury, and proceeded to develop his theological and social views from the pulpit and in many addresses and publications, such as "A Discourse of Matters pertaining to Religion" (1842). He became an activist in abolitionism, being once indicted for inciting violence during his address before Faneuil Hall concerning the rendition of a fugitive slave. He is said to have been an influence in later years on Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865).

American scholar and theologian.

Unitarian clergyman, theologian, author, and abolitionist.

Unitarian minister and social reformer. Graduated from Harvard Divinity School, 1836. Minister in West Roxbury, Mass., 1837-1846, and at the Twenty-eighth Congregational Society in Boston, 1846-1860. See sketch in Dictionary of American Biography.

American clergyman.

American Unitarian clergyman and abolitionist.

Abolitionist, theologian, Unitarian clergyman, and educator.

Theodore Parker ( 1810-1860 ) graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1836 and was ordained to the West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Unitarian Church in 1837 . He played a pivotal role in moving Unitarianism away from a Bible-centered faith, and in 1841, when he gave an ordination sermon entitled " A Discourse on the Transient and Permanent in Christianity," he emerged as a major figure in the Transcendentalist movement. Following the sermon, Parker was barred from the majority of Unitarian pulpits because a majority of Unitarian lay people and clergy found his ideas to be non-Christian. He continued his speaking engagements and became more and more controversial. In 1845, his followers, known as Parker-ites, established the Twenty-Eighth Congregational Society ( Boston ) and Parker became the pastor of this church. He was also a major figure in the abolitionist movement, leading the Boston opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and serving as minister-at-large to fugitive slaves in Boston . He was also the chairman of the executive committee of the Vigilance Committee, a fugitive slave aid society. Parker 's aid to fugitive slaves led to a federal indictment in 1854 which was dismissed on a technicality in 1855 . Parker was also a proponent of women's suffrage and delivered a well-known sermon, " On the Public Function of Woman," in 1853 . He served as the editor of the Massachusetts Quarterly Review from 1848 to 1851, and published many works, including Theism, Atheism, and the Popular Theology ( 1853 ), A False and True Revival of Religion ( 1858 ), and The Revival of Religion Which We Need ( 1858 ). He died in 1860 and was buried in Florence, Italy .

Theodore Parker (1810-1860) graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1836 and was ordained to the West Roxbury, Massachusetts, Unitarian Church in 1837. He played a pivotal role in moving Unitarianism away from a Bible-centered faith, and in 1841, when he gave an ordination sermon entitled "A Discourse on the Transient and Permanent in Christianity," he emerged as a major figure in the Transcendentalist movement. Following the sermon, Parker was barred from the majority of Unitarian pulpits because a majority of Unitarian lay people and clergy found his ideas to be non-Christian. He continued his speaking engagements and became more and more controversial. In 1845, his followers, known as Parker-ites, established the Twenty-Eighth Congregational Society (Boston) and Parker became the pastor of this church. He was also a major figure in the abolitionist movement, leading the Boston opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and serving as minister-at-large to fugitive slaves in Boston. He was also the chairman of the executive committee of the Vigilance Committee, a fugitive slave aid society. Parker's aid to fugitive slaves led to a federal indictment in 1854 which was dismissed on a technicality in 1855. Parker was also a proponent of women's suffrage and delivered a well-known sermon, On the Public Function of Woman, in 1853. He served as the editor of the Massachusetts Quarterly Review from 1848 to 1851, and published many works, including Theism, Atheism, and the Popular Theology (1853), A False and True Revival of Religion (1858), and The Revival of Religion Which We Need (1858). He died in 1860 and was buried in Florence, Italy.

Unitarian clergyman, abolitionist, and social reformer, of West Roxbury, Mass.

Theodore Parker was a Unitarian minister and social reformer. An extraordinary student, he graduated from Harvard Divinity School and secured a parish near Boston, but his radical views made him a controversial figure. He succeeded in spite of the controversy, becoming a successful author and lecturer, embracing Transcendentalism, and working for numerous social reforms, including women's rights, temperance, and the abolition of slavery. One of his last published essays was a defense of radical abolitionist John Brown.

Clergyman educated at Harvard. Co-edited the Scriptural Interpreter (Harvard), 1834-36. Transcendentalist and Unitarian. Considered controversial because of his 1841 sermon, The Transient and Permanent in Christianity. Activist for the escape of fugitive slaves. Bequeathed his library of 16,000 volumes to the Boston Public Library. His writings (1863-70) were published in 14 volumes after his death.

Liberal theologian, Unitarian minister, Transcendentalist, reformer, antislavery activist. Born in Lexington, Mass., 1810; died in 1860 in Florence, Italy, where he was buried. In early 1830's, taught school in Watertown, where he was influenced by the liberal Unitarian theology of Convers Francis. Entered Harvard Divinity School in 1834. Married Lydia Cabot in 1837, in which year he was ordained in West Roxbury. Familiar with 20 languages; drawn to German authors and to Coleridge, Carlyle, and Emerson. His controversial 1841 sermon "The Transient and Permanent in Christianity" was.

(Cont.) preached in South Boston. Contributor to the Dial. Travelled in Europe Sept. 1843-Sept. 1844. In 1845, resigned West Roxbury pastorate and was installed as minister of the Twenty-Eighth Congregational Society of Boston (quartered from 1852 in Boston Music Hall). Reform interests included woman's rights, temperance, labor reform, the poor, prison conditions, education, war, human rights, and slavery. His A Letter to the People of the United States Touching the Matter of Slavery was published in 1848; articles by him on the subject appeared in Massachusetts Quarterly Review between.

(Cont.) 1847 and 1850. Delivered numerous antislavery sermons and addresses. Serious illness ended his career in 1859, when he travelled again to Europe, where he died the following year. His library of close to 16,000 volumes was bequeathed to the Boston Public Library.

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