Horace Grant Underwood was a Presbyterian missionary

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

, educator

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

, and translator who dedicated his life to developing the Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n society and Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

.

Early life

Underwood was born in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and migrated to United States at the age of 12. He graduated from New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 in 1881 and the New Brunswick Theological Seminary

Seminary

A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...

 in New Brunswick

New Brunswick, New Jersey

New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...

, New Jersey the United States in 1884.

Work in Korea

He arrived in Korea as a missionary, and taught physics

Physics

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

 and chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

 at Gwanghyewon (광혜원) in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, the first modern hospital of Korea. Underwood worked with Henry G. Appenzeller, William B. Scranton, James Scarth Gale

James Scarth Gale

James S. Gale was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, educator and Bible translator in Korea.-Life:James Scarth Gale was born 31 January 1863 in Alma, Ontario, Canada. He married twice:...

, and William D. Reynolds

William D. Reynolds

William D. Reynolds was an American Southern Presbyterian missionary and Bible translator in Korea.William David Reynolds was born 12 November 1867. He completed the first translation of the Old Testament into Korean in 1910.He worked with Horace G...

 on the Korean Bible; New Testament 1900, Old Testament 1910. In 1900, Underwood and James Scarth Gale

James Scarth Gale

James S. Gale was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, educator and Bible translator in Korea.-Life:James Scarth Gale was born 31 January 1863 in Alma, Ontario, Canada. He married twice:...

 established the Seoul YMCA and in 1915 Underwood became the president of the Joseon Christian College (경신학교 儆新學校), the predecessor of Yonsei University

Yonsei University

Yonsei University is a Christian private research university, located in Seoul, South Korea. Established in 1885, it is one of the oldest universities in South Korea, the top private comprehensive universities in South Korea, and is widely regarded as one of the top three comprehensive...

. He wrote several books on Korea, including
The Call of Korea.

Personal life

Underwood's older brother, John T. Underwood, was a typewriter entrepreneur based in New York who helped finance Horace Grant's missionary endeavors. Underwood arrived in Korea on the same boat as Henry G. Appenzeller on Easter Sunday (April 5) 1885. In 1889, Underwood married Lillias Horton (1851–1921), a doctor. Underwood worked with Horace N. Allen, an American missionary doctor attached to the royal court. In 1916, Underwood went back to the U.S. due to his failing health but soon died in Atlantic City

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

. In 1999, his body was transferred from New Jersey to Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery

Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery

Yanghwajin , also known as the Hapjeong-dong International Cemetery, is a cemetery overlooking the Han River in the district of Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Designated in 1890 as a site for foreign missionaries by King Gojong, the site is currently open to the public from 9:00am to 6:00pm and is...

.

Underwood family legacy

Underwood's physical legacy is visible in various Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 educational institutes in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

. There is a statue of him in the center of the Yonsei University campus, and the Underwood Activity Center of Seoul Foreign School

Seoul Foreign School

Athletic Conference APAC Colors RedBlack Mascot The Crusaders Homepage Located in Seoul, South Korea, the Seoul Foreign School is a K-12 college preparatory school founded in 1912 by Christian missionaries to Korea...

 is dedicated to his grandson, Richard F. Underwood. Underwood's descendants have served to develop Korean society, religion, politics and education for over one hundred years. His son Horace Horton Underwood (1890–1951) continued the tradition of education and worked at Yonhi University, another predecessor of Yonsei University. Horace Horton and his wife Ethel named their son Horace Grant Underwood II (1917–2004) who, among other notable achievements, served as an interpretor in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

armistice talks. The Underwood family is no longer involved with mission work but continues to serve in Korea at the U.S. Embassy and in business.

External links

• The first Presbyterian missionaries in Korea

www.nbts.edu – The New Brunswick Theological Seminary