Hugh O. Pentecost
Encyclopedia
Hugh Owen Pentecost was a radical American
minister, editor, lawyer, and lecturer.
, to Emma Flower and Hugh Lockett Pentecost. Hugh was the fourth of five children, along with his eldest sister, Cora; his older brother, George Frederick (who also went on to become a nationally renowned preacher); another sister, Emma; and a younger sister, Rosa, who died in childhood. Hugh was given the middle name "Owen" after Robert Owen
, the patron of the utopian socialist community that Pentecost's parents had joined at New Harmony. At the age of two, his family moved to Albion, Illinois
.
After a short stint as a printer in Kentucky, Pentecost attended Colgate University
in upstate New York
, and after graduating in 1872, he entered the Baptist ministry. He preached at Baptist churches in Brooklyn
; Long Island
; Westerly, Rhode Island; Hartford Connecticut; and Brooklyn
. In 1871, while pastoring the Rockville Center, Long Island Baptist Church, he married Laura Anderson, the daughter of a successful Brooklyn confectioner. In 1873, Hugh and Laura left the Baptists in a dispute over the practice of "Free Communion," and then organized their own "Church of the People." They left that church, in turn, during the summer of 1875, after they challenged a church member over his handling of funds. Hugh Pentecost took on another assignment in Westerly, Rhode Island; in 1877, his wife, Laura, died of rheumatic fever.
In 1880, while in Hartford, he married Ida Gatling, the daughter of Richard Jordan Gatling
. Shortly after his wedding, he once again became a pastor for a Baptist church in Brooklyn
, but Pentecost left the Baptist denomination, and became a pastor for non-denominational church in Manhattan
and then the Belleville-Avenue Congregation Church in Newark, New Jersey
.
Pentecost became widely known for his eloquent sermons and his support for anti-poverty causes, Georgist land reform
, socialism
, and nonresistance
. In 1887, he began to make speeches for Henry George
's Anti-Poverty Society, ran and lost a race for mayor of Newark on the United Labor ticket, and delivered a sermon in protest of the hanging of the Haymarket martyrs. His increasingly political and theologically unorthodox sermons led to controversy within his congregation in Newark; in December 1887, he resigned from his post and announced that "My studies furthermore have given me such changed opinions regarding many fundamental doctrinal ideas that I feel I can no longer remain in the orthodox ministry or the orthodox church."
After leaving the orthodox ministry, Pentecost opened an independent "Unity Congregation" in Newark. He gave sermons and lectures on radical topics, becoming increasingly sympathetic to anarchism
, and edited a newspaper, the Twentieth Century, in which he published articles and correspondence on anarchism
, Georgism
, democracy, and labor reform. He often corresponded and shared platforms with radicals such as Benjamin Tucker
and Daniel De Leon
.
appointed him as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City
, but news of the appointment soon provoked controversy over both his lack of experience as a lawyer, and his radical political and religious views.
In response to the protests, Fellows claimed that he had known nothing of Pentecost's views at the time of the appointment. Fellows withdrew the appointment, and Pentecost prepared a statement, in which he disavowed his protests against the Haymarket hangings, and stated that "he who says that I am or ever was a Socialist or Anarchist, says what is not true." He added that "I now know that we live in a world in which the government and the social system which prevail are the best that human beings, in their highest wisdom, have been able to construct; that law is necessary and must be obeyed if society is to exist at all; that punishments must be inflicted on those who infringe the personal or property rights of others. I am now as firm a believer as any one in the practical necessity of the governmental system we have and enjoy." Pentecost stated that although he believed he could faithfully fulfill the position with his current beliefs, he would decline the position so as not to embarrass Fellows by association with him. Pentecost's statement, which was reprinted in the Twentieth Century and many newspapers, drew sharp criticism from some of Pentecost's radical friends, who believed him to be dissembling about his views in order to curry public opinion.
After the withdrawal of his appointment, Pentecost continued in private practice and became prominent in both civil and criminal law. In 1896, he unsuccessfully defended Carl Feigenbaum, who was executed for the murder of Mrs Juliana Hoffmann. Feigenbaum gained posthumous infamy as an unlikely suspect in the Jack the Ripper
murders.
Pentecost repeatedly spoke out against the turn-of-the-century prohibitionist
campaigns to shut down saloons, gambling, and brothels. He argued that the "vice crusades" little more than hypocritical cover for the Republican Party
's ambitions to unseat Tammany Hall
in the New York City
government. Pentecost argued that vice laws only relocated vice behind closed doors, and created opportunities for police corruption. Instead of crackdowns by city government, he argued, all vice laws should be repealed, as "The true remedy for all evil is in freedom. Truth makes you free."
In 1906, Pentecost joined the Socialist Party of America
, and spoke at a Socialist Party protest against William Randolph Hearst
's gubernatorial campaign.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
minister, editor, lawyer, and lecturer.
Early life, preaching, and radicalization
Pentecost was born in 1848 at New Harmony, IndianaNew Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, United States. It lies north of Mount Vernon, the county seat. The population was 916 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Evansville metropolitan area. Many of the old Harmonist buildings still stand...
, to Emma Flower and Hugh Lockett Pentecost. Hugh was the fourth of five children, along with his eldest sister, Cora; his older brother, George Frederick (who also went on to become a nationally renowned preacher); another sister, Emma; and a younger sister, Rosa, who died in childhood. Hugh was given the middle name "Owen" after Robert Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement.Owen's philosophy was based on three intellectual pillars:...
, the patron of the utopian socialist community that Pentecost's parents had joined at New Harmony. At the age of two, his family moved to Albion, Illinois
Albion, Illinois
Albion is a city in Edwards County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,933 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Edwards County. It is the home of the most pig farmers per square mile of all of the US counties.-Geography:...
.
After a short stint as a printer in Kentucky, Pentecost attended Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and after graduating in 1872, he entered the Baptist ministry. He preached at Baptist churches in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
; Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
; Westerly, Rhode Island; Hartford Connecticut; and Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. In 1871, while pastoring the Rockville Center, Long Island Baptist Church, he married Laura Anderson, the daughter of a successful Brooklyn confectioner. In 1873, Hugh and Laura left the Baptists in a dispute over the practice of "Free Communion," and then organized their own "Church of the People." They left that church, in turn, during the summer of 1875, after they challenged a church member over his handling of funds. Hugh Pentecost took on another assignment in Westerly, Rhode Island; in 1877, his wife, Laura, died of rheumatic fever.
In 1880, while in Hartford, he married Ida Gatling, the daughter of Richard Jordan Gatling
Richard Jordan Gatling
Dr. Richard Jordan Gatling was an American inventor best known for his invention of the Gatling gun, the first successful machine gun.-Life:...
. Shortly after his wedding, he once again became a pastor for a Baptist church in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, but Pentecost left the Baptist denomination, and became a pastor for non-denominational church in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and then the Belleville-Avenue Congregation Church in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
.
Pentecost became widely known for his eloquent sermons and his support for anti-poverty causes, Georgist land reform
Georgism
Georgism is an economic philosophy and ideology that holds that people own what they create, but that things found in nature, most importantly land, belong equally to all...
, socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, and nonresistance
Nonresistance
Nonresistance is generally defined as "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy...
. In 1887, he began to make speeches for Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
's Anti-Poverty Society, ran and lost a race for mayor of Newark on the United Labor ticket, and delivered a sermon in protest of the hanging of the Haymarket martyrs. His increasingly political and theologically unorthodox sermons led to controversy within his congregation in Newark; in December 1887, he resigned from his post and announced that "My studies furthermore have given me such changed opinions regarding many fundamental doctrinal ideas that I feel I can no longer remain in the orthodox ministry or the orthodox church."
After leaving the orthodox ministry, Pentecost opened an independent "Unity Congregation" in Newark. He gave sermons and lectures on radical topics, becoming increasingly sympathetic to anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, and edited a newspaper, the Twentieth Century, in which he published articles and correspondence on anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, Georgism
Georgism
Georgism is an economic philosophy and ideology that holds that people own what they create, but that things found in nature, most importantly land, belong equally to all...
, democracy, and labor reform. He often corresponded and shared platforms with radicals such as Benjamin Tucker
Benjamin Tucker
Benjamin Ricketson Tucker was a proponent of American individualist anarchism in the 19th century, and editor and publisher of the individualist anarchist periodical Liberty.-Summary:Tucker says that he became an anarchist at the age of 18...
and Daniel De Leon
Daniel De Leon
Daniel DeLeon was an American socialist newspaper editor, politician, Marxist theoretician, and trade union organizer. He is regarded as the forefather of the idea of revolutionary industrial unionism and was the leading figure in the Socialist Labor Party of America from 1890 until the time of...
.
Legal career
Under pressure from his family, he began to study law in 1891, and went into practice in 1892. In December 1893, John R. FellowsJohn R. Fellows
John R. Fellows was an American lawyer and politician from Arkansas and New York.-Life:...
appointed him as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but news of the appointment soon provoked controversy over both his lack of experience as a lawyer, and his radical political and religious views.
In response to the protests, Fellows claimed that he had known nothing of Pentecost's views at the time of the appointment. Fellows withdrew the appointment, and Pentecost prepared a statement, in which he disavowed his protests against the Haymarket hangings, and stated that "he who says that I am or ever was a Socialist or Anarchist, says what is not true." He added that "I now know that we live in a world in which the government and the social system which prevail are the best that human beings, in their highest wisdom, have been able to construct; that law is necessary and must be obeyed if society is to exist at all; that punishments must be inflicted on those who infringe the personal or property rights of others. I am now as firm a believer as any one in the practical necessity of the governmental system we have and enjoy." Pentecost stated that although he believed he could faithfully fulfill the position with his current beliefs, he would decline the position so as not to embarrass Fellows by association with him. Pentecost's statement, which was reprinted in the Twentieth Century and many newspapers, drew sharp criticism from some of Pentecost's radical friends, who believed him to be dissembling about his views in order to curry public opinion.
After the withdrawal of his appointment, Pentecost continued in private practice and became prominent in both civil and criminal law. In 1896, he unsuccessfully defended Carl Feigenbaum, who was executed for the murder of Mrs Juliana Hoffmann. Feigenbaum gained posthumous infamy as an unlikely suspect in the Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
murders.
Return to radical politics
In 1897, Pentecost returned to lecturing on political and religious topics, and reopened his "Unity Congregation."Pentecost repeatedly spoke out against the turn-of-the-century prohibitionist
Prohibitionism
Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement...
campaigns to shut down saloons, gambling, and brothels. He argued that the "vice crusades" little more than hypocritical cover for the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
's ambitions to unseat Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
government. Pentecost argued that vice laws only relocated vice behind closed doors, and created opportunities for police corruption. Instead of crackdowns by city government, he argued, all vice laws should be repealed, as "The true remedy for all evil is in freedom. Truth makes you free."
In 1906, Pentecost joined the Socialist Party of America
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
, and spoke at a Socialist Party protest against William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
's gubernatorial campaign.
Illness and death
Pentecost fell ill with stomach trouble late in 1906, and failed to recover after a surgical operation. After seven weeks of illness, he died in his home, on February 2, 1907. He was survived by his wife, Ida, and two grown daughters.Works Online
- "Anarchism," Twentieth Century, July 4, 1889. Hosted at DeadAnarchists.org.
- "The Crime of Owning Vacant Land," Twentieth Century, November 28, 1889. Hosted at DeadAnarchists.org.
- First Anniversary Address for Unity Congregation, Twentieth Century on January 10, 1889. Hosted at DeadAnarchists.org.
- "A Gigantic Poorhouse," Twentieth Century, October 10, 1889. Hosted at DeadAnarchists.org.
- "Murder by Law," Twentieth Century, August 15, 1889.
- "The Sins of Government," Twentieth Century on March 13, 1890. Hosted at DeadAnarchists.org.
- "Thomas Paine," Twentieth Century, February 6, 1890. Hosted at DeadAnarchists.org.
External links
- "Hugh Owen Pentecost (1848–1907): A Biographical Sketch", by Robert Helms.
- "Bible Class Teachers: An Exposition of the Spirit and Statements of the Gospels," New York Times, January 1, 1882.
- Benjamin Tucker, "On Picket Duty," Liberty, August 18, 1888.
- Benjamin Tucker, "Mr. Pentecost's Belief in the Ballot," Liberty January 19, 1889.
- Benjamin Tucker, "Mr. Pentecost as an Abettor of Government," Liberty, November 14, 1891.
- "Brooklyn's Heaped-Up Woes: in Spite of All There Are Taxpayers who Still Hope," New York Times, June 4, 1893.
- "Lawyers Charged with Larceny: Hugh O. Pentecost and R. H. Gatling Indicted on Complaint of a Client to Whose Case They Had Been Assigned," New York Times, June 30, 1895.
- "The Fault-Finding Habit: Hugh O. Pentecost on the Mistake of Seeing Nothing but Evil," New York Times, December 13, 1897.
- Edwin C. Walker, Communism and Conscience; Pentecost and Paradox (1904).
- Pendennis, "'Woman, the Inconstant One,' Discussed by the Sunrise Club." New York Times, February 18, 1906.
- "Hugh O. Pentecost Dead: Socialist Lawyer and Former Clergyman Was Ill Seven Weeks." Obituary, New York Times, February 3, 1907.
- Voltairine de Cleyre, "They Who Marry Do Ill," Mother Earth 11, no. 11, January 1908. De Cleyre discusses Pentecost's decision to disavow his radical views in the attempt to become a prosecutor.