Arthur Booth-Clibborn
Encyclopedia
Commissioner
Arthur Sydney Booth-Clibborn (née Clibborn) (1855 – 20 February 1939) was a pioneering early Salvation Army
officer
in France and Switzerland, and the husband of Kate Booth
, the oldest daughter of General
William
and Catherine Booth
.
, County Westmeath
in Ireland
, the son of a linen mill owner. At the age of 13 his parents sent him to boarding school
in France and Switzerland where he graduated from the University of Lausanne
. It was during this period in his life that he developed his capacity for languages. At the age of 26 he was appointed a Quaker minister.
in 1881 at the invitation of General
William Booth
, Major Clibborn became Kate Booth
’s chief of staff during her mission in France. They married on 18 February 1887. On marriage, Arthur and Kate changed their surname by deed poll to Booth-Clibborn at the insistence of General Booth
. They had ten children, including the Pentecostal preacher William Booth-Clibborn. A grandson was Stanley Eric Francis Booth-Clibborn, who became the Anglican Bishop of Manchester
.
Posted to Switzerland in 1889, opposition to the Salvationists grew in that country leading to the government ordering that all Salvation Army halls be closed. Arthur Booth-Clibborn was thrown into prison alongside a thief and a prostitute. Following the birth of their tenth child the Booth-Clibborns resigned from The Salvation Army
in January 1902, unhappy at the restrictive nature of the Army's military style of government.
's Zion City
, a township about 40 miles north of Chicago
. Katie Booth-Clibborn did not believe Dowie's grandiose claims — in 1901 he declared himself the prophet Elijah the Restorer, and in 1904 the first apostle of Jesus Christ — and she was offended by his criticism of her father even though her resignation had made her an outcast from both her family and The Salvation Army. For the rest of her life Kate Booth-Clibborn had almost no contact with her father or with those siblings who remained in The Salvation Army.
After becoming Pentecostals
in 1906 the Booth-Clibborns together continued preaching and spreading the Gospel as travelling evangelist
s in Europe
, the United States
, and Australia
for the rest of their lives.
Commissioner in The Salvation Army
The rank of Commissioner in The Salvation Army is the second highest rank attainable by Officers in the organisation, and the highest 'appointed' rank, as the rank of General is by election...
Arthur Sydney Booth-Clibborn (née Clibborn) (1855 – 20 February 1939) was a pioneering early Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
officer
Officer in The Salvation Army
An Officer in The Salvation Army is a Salvationist who is in essence a minister of the Christian faith, but who fulfills many other roles not usually fulfilled by clergy of other denominations...
in France and Switzerland, and the husband of Kate Booth
Kate Booth
Catherine Booth-Clibborn was the oldest daughter of William and Catherine Booth. She was also known as "la Maréchale".-Early life:...
, the oldest daughter of General
Generals of The Salvation Army
thumbnail|left|1st General, William BoothGeneral is the title of the international leader of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers .Usage of the term General began with the Founder of The Salvation...
William
William Booth
William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...
and Catherine Booth
Catherine Booth
Catherine Booth was the wife of the founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth. Because of her influence in the formation of The Salvation Army she was known as the 'Army Mother'....
.
Early life
He was born in MoateMoate
Moate is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.The name An Móta is derived from the term motte-and-bailey as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the main street....
, County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the son of a linen mill owner. At the age of 13 his parents sent him to boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in France and Switzerland where he graduated from the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
. It was during this period in his life that he developed his capacity for languages. At the age of 26 he was appointed a Quaker minister.
Salvation Army career
Joining The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
in 1881 at the invitation of General
Generals of The Salvation Army
thumbnail|left|1st General, William BoothGeneral is the title of the international leader of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers .Usage of the term General began with the Founder of The Salvation...
William Booth
William Booth
William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...
, Major Clibborn became Kate Booth
Kate Booth
Catherine Booth-Clibborn was the oldest daughter of William and Catherine Booth. She was also known as "la Maréchale".-Early life:...
’s chief of staff during her mission in France. They married on 18 February 1887. On marriage, Arthur and Kate changed their surname by deed poll to Booth-Clibborn at the insistence of General Booth
William Booth
William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...
. They had ten children, including the Pentecostal preacher William Booth-Clibborn. A grandson was Stanley Eric Francis Booth-Clibborn, who became the Anglican Bishop of Manchester
Bishop of Manchester
The Bishop of Manchester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.The current bishop is the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, the 11th Lord Bishop of Manchester, who signs Nigel Manchester. The bishop's official residence is Bishopscourt, Bury New Road,...
.
Posted to Switzerland in 1889, opposition to the Salvationists grew in that country leading to the government ordering that all Salvation Army halls be closed. Arthur Booth-Clibborn was thrown into prison alongside a thief and a prostitute. Following the birth of their tenth child the Booth-Clibborns resigned from The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
in January 1902, unhappy at the restrictive nature of the Army's military style of government.
Post-Salvation Army
At her husband's wish, Katie and the children travelled with him to the cult leader John Alexander DowieJohn Alexander Dowie
John Alexander Dowie was a Scottish evangelist and faith healer who ministered in Australia and the United States. He founded the city of Zion, Illinois, and the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church...
's Zion City
Zion, Illinois
Zion is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,866 at the 2000 census, and estimated at 24,303 as of 2005. The city was founded in July 1901 by John Alexander Dowie. He also started the Zion Tabernacle of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, which was the only...
, a township about 40 miles north of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Katie Booth-Clibborn did not believe Dowie's grandiose claims — in 1901 he declared himself the prophet Elijah the Restorer, and in 1904 the first apostle of Jesus Christ — and she was offended by his criticism of her father even though her resignation had made her an outcast from both her family and The Salvation Army. For the rest of her life Kate Booth-Clibborn had almost no contact with her father or with those siblings who remained in The Salvation Army.
After becoming Pentecostals
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
in 1906 the Booth-Clibborns together continued preaching and spreading the Gospel as travelling evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
s in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the rest of their lives.