Jonathan Blanchard (Wheaton)
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Blanchard was a pastor, educator, social reformer, abolitionist and the first president of Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
, which was founded in 1860.
At Wheaton College
Blanchard had previously been president of Knox CollegeKnox College, Illinois
Knox College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Galesburg, Illinois. Knox is classified as a more selective institution by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is ranked 75th among liberal arts colleges by the 2011 edition of America's Best...
in Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg, Illinois
Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....
and was a staunch abolitionist with ties to Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. Blanchard separated the Wheaton College from any denominational support and was responsible for its name, in honor of trustee and benefactor Warren L. Wheaton.
Jonathan Blanchard used the school as a platform for his abolitionist ideas and anti-Masonic
Anti-Masonry
Anti-Masonry is defined as "avowed opposition to Freemasonry". However, there is no homogeneous anti-Masonic movement...
advocacy, as well as for his national presidential campaign in 1884 on the Anti-Masonic Party
Anti-Masonic Party
The Anti-Masonic Party was the first "third party" in the United States. It strongly opposed Freemasonry and was founded as a single-issue party aspiring to become a major party....
ticket. He saw Wheaton College "as an 'arsenal
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
' and 'drill camp
Recruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
' for the hosts of righteousness in the moral warfare of the world . . . a means of training social activists . . . ."
In 1861, Jonathan Blanchard organized College Church
College Church
College Church is an independent church in Wheaton, Illinois with "strong historic ties" to Wheaton College. The church is led by a number of pastors, directors, and a board of elders. Dr. Josh Moody currently holds the position of Senior Pastor of College Church...
in Wheaton. The church first met on the campus of Wheaton College as "The First Church of Christ in Wheaton." Blanchard wanted the church to be known for its opposition to slavery, secret societies, and alcohol use.
Jonathan Blanchard's son, Charles A. Blanchard
Charles A. Blanchard
Charles A. Blanchard was the second president of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He succeeded his father, Jonathan Blanchard, to the office in 1882 and served Wheaton in that capacity until his death, in 1925....
, succeeded him as college president in 1882 and served Wheaton in that capacity until his death in 1925. Wheaton's most recognizable and oldest building is Blanchard Hall
Blanchard Hall
Blanchard Hall is a building located on the campus of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Construction of the building began in 1853, and the building was completed in 1927. The building takes its name from Jonathan Blanchard, the founder of Wheaton College, and his son Charles A. Blanchard...
, a limestone tower built as the Central College Building in 1853 and, subsequently, named in honor of the college's first two presidents.
Other activism
Of New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
stock, Blanchard had a clear vision for evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
cooperation in gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
work and social reform. He named the church he cultivated on the campus of Wheaton College "The First Church of Christ in Wheaton." Blanchard insisted that the church go on public record with its opposition to slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and secret societies and its support for temperance
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
. It was said that, on almost every conceivable political or social issue, Jonathan Blanchard was a radical.
He was a driving force behind, and the first president of, the National Christian Association, which appeared in the early 1860s, and he worked closely with Charles. G. Finney
Charles Grandison Finney
Charles Grandison Finney was a leader in the Second Great Awakening. He has been called The Father of Modern Revivalism. Finney was best known as an innovative revivalist, an opponent of Old School Presbyterian theology, an advocate of Christian perfectionism, a pioneer in social reforms in favor...
in opposition to the "insidious influence of [secret] societies." Blanchard and the NCA were determined to, "through tracts, lectures and sermons, introduce those embroiled with orders, both Christian and non, to the freedom promised by Jesus Christ, who performed His ministry not secretly but openly."
In 1884, Blanchard was a candidate for the Presidency of the United States on the Anti-Masonic Party
Anti-Masonic Party
The Anti-Masonic Party was the first "third party" in the United States. It strongly opposed Freemasonry and was founded as a single-issue party aspiring to become a major party....
ticket. On September 13 of that year, he gave an hour-and-a-half lecture on "Christian Politics" at the anti-Masonic convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
. The platform of the anti-Masonic Party was very brief, and espoused 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...
, temperance, the abolition of secret societies, and a direct vote for President and Vice-President of the United States instead of an electoral college.
Further reading
- Kilby, Clyde S., Minority of One: the Biography of Jonathan Blanchard (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959).
- Maas, David E.David E. MaasDavid E. Maas is an emeritus professor of history at Wheaton College . He was first appointed to Wheaton's faculty in 1970 and retired in 2010.-Education:* Ph.D. History, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1972...
, "Jonathan Blanchard." In Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals, edited by Timothy Larsen. Leicester, England: Intervarsity Press, 2003.