Elijah Embree Hoss
Encyclopedia
Elijah Embree Hoss was an American bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
, elected in 1902. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist
pastor
, as a college professor
and administrator, and as an editor
.
in Washington County, Tennessee, U.S.A., he was a son of Henry and Maria (née Sevier) Hoss. His mother was a granddaughter of General John Sevier
. The family moved to Jonesboro before Elijah was two years old. He was the second child and the first son of a family of eight children. He professed faith in Jesus Christ and joined the M.E. Church, South, at Jonesboro when he was ten years old.
Elijah married Miss Abigail Belle "Abbie" Clark of Knoxville, Tennessee
, 19 November 1872 in Knox County, Tennessee
, daughter of Edwin Reuben and Mary Ann (Sessler) Clark. Elijah and Abbie had three children: Mary Sevier "Minnie" (Headman), E.E. Jr., and Dr. Henry Sessler, M.D. Mrs. Hoss died 15 June 1918 in Muskogee, Oklahoma
.
in 1866, studying there two years. He then entered Emory & Henry College, earning his B.A.
degree in 1869. He had acquired the habit of reading widely in early life. He was known in college for the range of his studies and the accuracy of his scholarship. His memory was prodigious, so that accurate and wide information was at his ready command.
, Emory and Henry College, with the degree of Doctor of Divinity
. Emory and Henry similarly honored him in 1890 with the LL.D. degree, and Ohio Wesleyan University did the same in 1906.
29 September 1869, and was ordained in 1870. His first appointment was Jonesboro (Jonesborough United Methodist Church
). The first person he received into church membership was his own father. He was then appointed to Knoxville, Tennessee
, in 1870.
In July 1872 he transferred to California
to the Pacific Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (M.E.C., S.). He was appointed to San Francisco. He then transferred to the Western North Carolina
Annual Conference in 1875 and was appointed to Asheville
.
at Martha Washington College in 1876. He was elected president
of this institution in 1879. He became a professor and vice president
of Emory and Henry College in 1881 and was elected president in 1885. In August 1885 the Rev. Hoss was elected to the Chair of Ecclesiastical History
, Church Polity
and Pastoral Theology
at Vanderbilt University
, serving there until 1890.
In May 1890 Rev. Hoss was elected the editor of the Nashville Christian Advocate
, the primary weekly newspaper of the M.E. Church, South. He held this position until his election to the Episcopacy in 1902. Previous to this, he was a delegate to five general conferences of his denomination. The final time elected, he lacked only six votes in the Holston Conference, besides his own, of being unanimously elected.
.
Bishop Hoss was a fraternal representative of his denomination to nearly every Methodist Church in the world. His last great mission of this kind was to Australia in 1915. He was the presiding bishop of the M.E. South work in Brazil from 1905 to 1908 and in the Orient in 1910 and 1915.
, at the home of his son, Henry. He was buried in Muskogee beside his wife. They were re-interred together in Maple Lawn Cemetery at Jonesboro, Tennessee, 12 April 1924.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
, elected in 1902. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, as a college professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and administrator, and as an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
Early life
Born on Cherokee Creek, four miles from JonesboroJonesborough, Tennessee
Jonesborough is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 4,168 at the 2000 census...
in Washington County, Tennessee, U.S.A., he was a son of Henry and Maria (née Sevier) Hoss. His mother was a granddaughter of General John Sevier
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
. The family moved to Jonesboro before Elijah was two years old. He was the second child and the first son of a family of eight children. He professed faith in Jesus Christ and joined the M.E. Church, South, at Jonesboro when he was ten years old.
Elijah married Miss Abigail Belle "Abbie" Clark of Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, 19 November 1872 in Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, daughter of Edwin Reuben and Mary Ann (Sessler) Clark. Elijah and Abbie had three children: Mary Sevier "Minnie" (Headman), E.E. Jr., and Dr. Henry Sessler, M.D. Mrs. Hoss died 15 June 1918 in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
.
Education
Hoss was educated in the schools of Jonesboro, Tennessee. He entered Ohio Wesleyan UniversityOhio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
in 1866, studying there two years. He then entered Emory & Henry College, earning his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1869. He had acquired the habit of reading widely in early life. He was known in college for the range of his studies and the accuracy of his scholarship. His memory was prodigious, so that accurate and wide information was at his ready command.
Honorary degrees
The Rev. Hoss was honored in 1885 by his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Emory and Henry College, with the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
. Emory and Henry similarly honored him in 1890 with the LL.D. degree, and Ohio Wesleyan University did the same in 1906.
Ordained ministry
Elijah was licensed to preach in the M.E. Church, South, at Jonesboro on 8 February 1866. He was admitted on trial to the Holston Annual ConferenceAnnual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
29 September 1869, and was ordained in 1870. His first appointment was Jonesboro (Jonesborough United Methodist Church
Jonesborough United Methodist Church
Jonesborough United Methodist Church is a church in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Its building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Jonesborough Historic District.- History :...
). The first person he received into church membership was his own father. He was then appointed to Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, in 1870.
In July 1872 he transferred to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to the Pacific Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (M.E.C., S.). He was appointed to San Francisco. He then transferred to the Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It is sometimes included with upstate South Carolina as the "Western Carolinas", which is also counted as a single media market...
Annual Conference in 1875 and was appointed to Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
.
Academic and editorial ministries
The Rev. Hoss became a professorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at Martha Washington College in 1876. He was elected president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of this institution in 1879. He became a professor and vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of Emory and Henry College in 1881 and was elected president in 1885. In August 1885 the Rev. Hoss was elected to the Chair of Ecclesiastical History
History of Christianity
The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, its followers and the Church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present. Christianity was founded in the 1st century by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth who they believed to be the Christ or chosen one of God...
, Church Polity
Ecclesiastical polity
Ecclesiastical polity is the operational and governance structure of a church or Christian denomination. It also denotes the ministerial structure of the church and the authority relationships between churches...
and Pastoral Theology
Pastoral theology
Pastoral theology is the branch of practical theology concerned with the application of the study of religion in the context of regular church ministry. This approach to theology seeks to give practical expression to theology...
at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, serving there until 1890.
In May 1890 Rev. Hoss was elected the editor of the Nashville Christian Advocate
Nashville Christian Advocate
The Nashville Christian Advocate was a weekly newspaper of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. It served as the central organ of the denomination as well as the official paper of the Tennessee Conference. It was the largest and most influential of the Methodist newspapers in the South. It was...
, the primary weekly newspaper of the M.E. Church, South. He held this position until his election to the Episcopacy in 1902. Previous to this, he was a delegate to five general conferences of his denomination. The final time elected, he lacked only six votes in the Holston Conference, besides his own, of being unanimously elected.
Episcopal ministry
The Rev. Dr. Elijah Embree Hoss was elected to the Episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, by the 1902 General Conference. His Episcopal Residence was at 810 Broadway, Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Bishop Hoss was a fraternal representative of his denomination to nearly every Methodist Church in the world. His last great mission of this kind was to Australia in 1915. He was the presiding bishop of the M.E. South work in Brazil from 1905 to 1908 and in the Orient in 1910 and 1915.
Retirement, death, and burial
Bishop Hoss was given a year's vacation in 1914–15. He retired on account of feeble health in 1918. He died 23 April 1919 in Muskogee, OklahomaMuskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....
, at the home of his son, Henry. He was buried in Muskogee beside his wife. They were re-interred together in Maple Lawn Cemetery at Jonesboro, Tennessee, 12 April 1924.
Selected writings
- Address: "The Religious Press", Washington, Second Ecumenical Conference, 1891
- Address: "General Missionary Conference", 1901, Organization for Mission Work
- Address: "The New Demands upon Methodist Authorship", London, Third Ecumencial Conference, 1901
- Sermon: "Face to Face with the Eternal World", Wesleyan Christian Advocate, 1904
- Address: "Temperance and Prohibition", Toronto, Fourth Ecumenical Conference, 1911
- Methodist Fraternity and Federation, 1913
- David Morton - A Biography, 1916
- William McKendree, A Biographical Study
- Hymn: "O God, Great Father, Lord and King", 1903 (Published in Nashville Christian Advocate, 1904)