William Howard Hoople
Encyclopedia
William Howard Hoople (August 6, 1868 – September 29, 1922) was a prominent leader of the American Holiness movement
; the co-founder of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America, one of the antecedent groups that merged to create the Church of the Nazarene
; rescue mission organizer; an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene, and first superintendent of the New York District of the Church of the Nazarene; YMCA
worker; baritone
gospel singer; successful businessman and investor; and inventor.
, on August 6, 1868, the oldest child and only son of Canadian immigrants William Gordon Hoople (born April 3, 1841 in Dickinson's Landing
, Eastern District, Upper Canada
; died December 28, 1908 of "acute indigestion" in New York), an Episcopalian clerk employed by his uncle, and Agnes T. Blackburn (born March 1844 in Osnabruck Township
, Eastern District, Upper Canada
; died 1915), an Episcopalian
school teacher. William and Agnes, were childhood sweetheart
s who grew up in Osnabruck
in Stormont County, Ontario, near the Long Sault
just across the Saint Lawrence River
from Upstate New York
, an area had been settled originally by the 1st Battalion of Sir John Johnson's
King's Royal Regiment of New York
(also known informally as the Royal New Yorkers and the Royal Greens) after the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
in 1783. WG Hoople had been born on a farm on the banks of Hoople's Creek granted about 1797 to his grandfather Henry Hoople (born 1760 in Cherry Valley, New York
; died 1838 in Stormont, Ontario, Canada) on the Second Concession by the British government as reward for fighting for the Loyalist
cause. "Willie" Gordon Hoople was born after the death of his grandfather, however the farm was supervised by his grandmother, Henry's widow, Mary Whitmore "Granny" Hoople (born in New Jersey
in 1767; died 1858), who, after the massacre of her parents and two siblings on Easter Day
, March 26, 1780, had been abducted from the family farm at Mud Creek (now Jerseytown, Pennsylvania
) by the Delaware Indians
and lived among them for seven years. After their marriage in 1788, Mary and Henry had twelve children: nine sons and three daughters, with Willie's father, Joseph Hoople ((born 1809 in Newington, Ontario; died 1892 in Newington). being the eleventh child and youngest son.
In April 1862 William G. Hoople migrated to New York City
, in the same month as the second marriage of his father. After three years of advanced education in a New York academy financed by his uncle, in 1865 W.G. entered the firm of his uncle, William Henry Hoople (born 1805 in Ontario, Canada; died June 17, 1895 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
, age 89), a widower who was also a prosperous businessman, whose son, William H. Hoople, Jr., had refused to enter the family business. WH Hoople had founded Van Nostrand & Hoople in 1832 with John Van Nostrand at 38 Ferry Street, near the corner with Cliff Street, in an area of lower Manhattan known as "The Swamp", the fetid southeastern blocks of the city centred on Jacob and Ferry Streets just east of City Hall
, that had been "the (stinking) locus
of the tanning and leather currying
industry" since the late 1690s. This firm sold tanning materials and dyes.
After two years working for his uncle in a clerical position, W.G. Hoople returned to Canada to marry Agnes at the Long Sault (now South Stormont), Ontario on June 26, 1867. Soon after William Howard Hoople's birth in August 1868, the family moved from Herkimer to New York city. W.G. Hoople acquired US citizenship on July 27, 1869, at which time the family resided at 117 2nd Avenue
(at the corner with Seventh Street) in what was then in the Little Germany section of the Lower East Side
of New York City. By 1870 the family had relocated to Jamaica, Queens
, where WG Hoople lived with his wife; his widowed mother-in-law, Sarah Blackburn; and his son, William Howard Hoople; and a servant. Subsequently their family was enlarged through the births of his three daughters:
After the retirement of his uncle in 1870, and after five years "learning the ropes", W.G. Hoople became a partner and managed Van Nostrand & Hoople, until his uncle's death on 17 June 1895. As a reward for his stewardship, W.G. Hoople received a sizable inheritance of $55,000 in real estate from his uncle. The success of his various business enterprises resulted in William G. Hoople becoming a multi-millionaire. In 1870 Hoople, in partnership with Edward Everett Androvette, established Hoople & Androvette, dealers in tanning materials and dyes, at 250 Front Street, New York city
, a five-story building that they purchased in September 1902. Also in 1870 W.G. Hoople and Loring Andrew Robertson (born November 12, 1828 in Windham, New York; died October 9, 1890 in New York) formed Robertson & Hoople, which traded as a leather merchant. On January 3, 1884 W.G. Hoople and Robertson incorporated the New York Leather Belting Company which manufactured oak-tanned leather belting, waterproof leather halting, and electric belts at its factory at the corner of South Eleventh Street and Kent Avenue, Brooklyn. Additionally, W.G. Hoople had established Hoople & Nichols, in partnership with William S. Nichols (born February 1845 in Rhode Island
; died September 25, 1892), whose son, Albert I. Nichols, later became his partner in the firm, and also married his youngest daughter, Bessie. This firm imported shellac
, but later expanded to become a hardware store
, selling brushes. WG Hoople was also involved in real estate investments. In September 1893 WG Hoople purchased four multi-story buildings at Peck Slip and Pearl Street, Manhattan that were under foreclosure
, while in August 1897 he sold a four-story brownstone-front building near the infamous Five Points
at 32 Great Jones Street
for $27,000, and in 1899 he sold the building that housed his offices at 38 Ferry Street, New York, to philanthropist businessman Charles Adolph Schieren (born February 28, 1842 in Germany; died March 15, 1915), the penultimate mayor of Brooklyn (1894–1895). WG Hoople was also a director of the Hide and Leather Bank that had been established on June 15, 1891 and was headquartered in a ten-story building at 88-90 Gold Street. By 1909 WG Hoople was also a member of the New York Drug Trade Club.
, a co-educational trade school at Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
, established on October 17, 1887 and endowed by Charles Pratt
(1830–1891), the wealthy co-founder of Standard Oil
, "for training skilled artisans, foremen, designers and draftsmen". After graduation from Pratt Institute, Hoople attended another business college in Brooklyn. About 1888 Hoople was still living at 1475 Pacific Street, Brooklyn with his parents. Soon after Hoople opened his own leather business, which manufactured Goodyear Welting at a factory he built on a property owned by his great uncle, William H. Hoople, at 50 Ferry Street, New York City
. Upon the death of his great uncle in 1895, he inherited this property, then valued at $10,000.
By 1896 the Hooples were living at 102 Decatur Street, Brooklyn. The Hooples had one daughter and five sons:
By June 1900 Hoople and Victoria were living back at 1475 Pacific Street, Brooklyn with three servants, and Henrietta (Hettie), Victoria's 49 year-old spinster
sister.
As a child Hoople and his family attended the Sunday School
of the Central Congregational church
located at Hancock Street, near Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn, and later became a member of that church. In December 1885 Hoople attended an evangelistic service for young men in the newly opened building of the Central Branch of the YMCA
at 502 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
held by Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey, and at the conclusion of the service, while the choir sang Just as I Am
, responded to the gospel invitation and "walked into the arms of Jesus". In an interview for the Brooklyn Eagle
in February 1895, Hooper indicated: "I was converted nine years ago at the Central branch of the Young Men's Christian association in Brooklyn". Hoople believed he was saved from "a life of frivolity and ambition."
Hoople was a baritone
who "was blessed with a beautiful voice", Hoople was described in 1933 as "a great singer, having a fine, deep, powerful voice. If he couldn't accomplish his purpose in any other way, he sang his way through." Hoople often sang solos and led the singing in churches of various denominations, at the Methodist Home for the Aged in Brooklyn, and at services sponsored by the YMCA and the Christian Endeavor Society
. Additionally, by 1891 Hoople spoke regularly in YMCA meetings, and preached in the Bethesda Congregational Church while the pastor was on vacation. Hoople was a member of the "famous Hadley Male Quartet", which further spread Hoople's fame and influence in the city. One report indicated: "If there were no other way through, the quartet helped Hoople sing his way through. When this quartet sang to an audience of six thousand at a meeting of J. Wilbur Chapman's
revival in New York city there were few dry eyes."
On June 18, 1891 Hoople was elected the first treasurer of the nonsectarian
Industrial Christian Alliance, which would give "practical help to the outcast poor", in a similar manner to the methods of the Salvation Army
. By July 14, 1891 the ICA was incorporated. On November 30, 1891 the Alliance opened a 39 bed home at 113 MacDougal Street
(today the site of the Minetta Tavern), near Hoople's business, where the poor could stay for up to sixty days, "be cleaned, clothed, treated medically and mentally", and given the opportunity to work in one of the sponsoring businesses. Plans were to establish a depot for women, rescue missions, and to establish kindergartens, day nurseries, and industrial schools. One of the activities of the ICA was to establish a broom factory where the residents could work in exchange for their room and board, and the brooms and whisks were sold to generate income for the ICA. As a result of the Panic of 1893
, unemployment and poverty increased dramatically in this area, necessitating the relocation of the ICA home to a 100 bed facility at 170 Bleecker Street
by May 1, 1893. During the Winter of 1893, the ICA opened the People's Restaurant at its headquarters at 170 Bleecker Street and at six other locations. The ICA provided a million meals to the impoverished unemployed for only 5 cents for a hot meal for a family of four people, but by the end of 1894 the ICA was pleading to the general public for the first time for additional financial resources, and Hoople was no longer treasurer.
According to Hoople, "For several years after I was a member of a praying band". In the early 1890s Hoople began attending the noonday prayer meeting at the John Street Methodist Church
at 44 John Street, Manhattan
. There he met Charles H. BeVier (born September 5, 1858; died about 1905), "a zealous witness to holiness and choir leader at the largest Methodist church in Brooklyn." According to Nazarene historian Timothy L. Smith
, "Hoople thought BeVier's "fanaticism" a pity, and set out to argue his new friend into rejecting sanctification. Instead, Hoople wound up finding the blessing himself" in his own shop in 1893. Hoople began attending some holiness meetings held in private homes in Brooklyn, "where they could worship God in the freedom of the Spirit." In July 1893 Hoople underwrote the expenses for the first ever camp meeting
to be held in the small hamlet of Nanuet, New York
, near his country home. At that time Hoople was a still a member of Central Congregational Church, which was pastored by Dr. Adolphus J.F. Behrends (born 1839 in Holland; died c.1899 in New York). However, by October 1893 Hoople had left the Congregational church and was attending the Methodist church at Windsor Terrace
, Flatbush
. In 1895 Hoople indicated that because he became an adherent of “Methodist doctrine”, he was "unwelcome in the Calvinistic church that nurtured his early faith in Christ".
(next to a brothel
) at 123 Schenectady Avenue in Brooklyn. Hoople had it cleaned and furnished, and on New Year's Day, 1894, began holding services. On January 4, 1894 Hoople and BeVier, who led a Methodist mission in Brooklyn
, opened an Independent Holiness Mission, with Hoople being elected superintendent by the members. From the beginning the basic motivation was to establish a holiness work and especially to preach to the poor.
; died September 26, 1937 at Ocean Grove, New Jersey
), a Methodist local preacher; and Richard T. Ryons (born 1834; died January 17, 1915 in Brooklyn), a Methodist who had been an actor in the troupe managed by Laura Keene
, found a vacant lot on nearby Utica Avenue
, between Dean and Bergen Streets, which, after the three knelt down and prayed, believed was the right location. Hoople purchased the lot with money borrowed from his father. In April 1894 Hoople's father funded the estimated $2,000 cost to erect a simple one-story frame tabernacle
-style church building that measured 49.5 feet in length and the same in width on the site. Just over three weeks after the building permit was granted, the new church was opened on May 16, 1894 with Hoople as pastor and 32 charter members. The Utica Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle was dedicated on June 15, 1894 with the dedication sermon preached at 7.30pm by Methodist Rev. Dr. M.D. Collins of Ocean Grove, New Jersey
. Redford recorded:
Late in 1894 Hoople was ordained, with prominent holiness movement leader Baptist Rev. Edgar M. Levy
(born November 23, 1822 in St. Marys, Georgia
; died October 30, 1906 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
), who co-founded the Douglas, Massachusetts
Holiness Camp Meeting in 1875, preaching the ordination sermon. Just prior to Christmas 1894, the non-denominational New-York State Holiness Association was opened in this building, with BeVier elected president, and Hoople elected vice-president.
At 9.30 am on February 1, 1895 Hoople opened the Bedford Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle at the corner of south Third Street and Bedford Avenue
in east Brooklyn in a former Unitarian
church which they leased for $1,000 per year. The congregation was organised as the Bedford Avenue Pentecostal Church on February 24, 1895 with 20 charter members. By January 1897 this congregation had grown to about 130 members. John Norberry was called to be its pastor. The church was congregational in polity
with two elders (Hoople and Ryon), three deacon
s, and two deaconess
es. It was independent of all denominations, and its doctrine
was self-described as "Bible holiness and entire sanctification obtainable in this life". It prohibited raising funds through church fairs, entertainments or picnics. Hoople indicated: "I do not believe that money for the Lord should be raised through the medium of a man's stomach, or his mere love of amusements. The only offerings that will find favor in His sight is free will offerings." In 1895 Hoople described himself in the Christian Witness as a Congregationalist who had “embraced Methodist doctrine”. This logic lay behind the churches Hoople shepherded in Brooklyn. He rejected American Methodism’s episcopal system. Hoople received no salary for his ministry, and paid most of the expenses including rent, gas, and heat himself as the members of his congregation were often impoverished. One 1897 newspaper account indicated: "His work in the church is a labor of love. He receives no salary. The little church he built and paid for with his own money." At that time a church representative (possibly Hoople himself) explained:
As early as February 1895 Hoople envisioned additional congregations: "It is my intention if our two churches become in any way self-supporting to start others in different parts of the town. There is plenty of room for them." The third church planted was the Emmanuel Pentecostal Tabernacle, which was organised in a deserted church building at the corner of Lewis Avenue and Kosciusko Street, Brooklyn on Labor Day
(Monday, September 3), 1895 with Frederick William "Fred" Sloat (born January 12, 1875 in New York) ordained as the pastor "amidst the outpouring of the Spirit", with the church membership soon reaching 39.
The APCA proposed union with the Central Evangelical Holiness Association (founded in 1890), and ultimately most of the fifteen congregations of that group became members of the APCA. After initial discussions held in Hoople's parlor from November 11, 1896 that resulted in a plan of union being developed, the union was finalized on April 13, 1897 at Lynn, Massachusetts
. at which time the APCA decided to send its first missionaries to India. A standing missionary committee of twelve members was created to oversee all foreign missionary work, with Hoople elected chairman. This committee was the only central planning body of the denomination. While its focus was on its embryonic work overseas, which was to support missionary work from 1898 in India and from 1900 in Cape Verde
, its executive committee also increasingly supervised domestic activities.
In May 1897 Hoople was accused by two excommunicated church members of using hypnotism to frequently put some members of his congregation into trances that lasted up to three hours in special meetings held after the usual services, where one woman was allegedly driven insane, and one man even died of a heart attack. One church member indicated that during her sanctification, "I knew nothing of what was going on around me, but I was permitted to see God and he gave me hymns to sing and unhappiness fell from me." Paulin Vauclair, a deaconess in the Utica Avenue church, and one of the women who passed out during the services, denied the accusations against Hoople, indicating "It is the spirit of God which inspires us to act as we do, and Pastor Hoople has no more to do with it than you do." Vauclair indicated that a number of men and women fainted, and that these also occurred when Hoople was absent. Another deacon responded to the accusations: "Pastor Hoople possesses no power save that which comes from the Holy Ghost." After the accounts featured in the Brooklyn Eagle and elsewhere, Hoople took a three weeks' trip and the services were more subdued. However, on May 27, 1897 Hoople was still scheduled to join a number of APCA ministers at the dedication of the new People's Pentecostal Tabernacle APCA church at the corner of Latham and Division streets, Sag Harbor, New York
on June 3–4, 1897. Hiram Reynolds recalled in 1933:
The APCA grew steadily from 1897 to 1907 as churches were added in New England
, the Middle Atlantic states, the District of Columbia, Canada
, and the Midwest. Reynolds organized churches in Oxford
and Springhill, Nova Scotia
, in 1902. A congregation in Pittsburgh led by John Norris united in 1899. By 1907 there were churches in Illinois
and Iowa
. In 1900 the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute (now Eastern Nazarene College
) was founded at Saratoga Springs, New York
, and relocated to North Scituate, Rhode Island in the fall of 1903.
By 1900 Hoople was a featured speaker in the Brooklyn Forward Movement, a movement that united pastors of various denominations to conduct co-operative evangelistic and civic activities, and to promote temperance. Their approach was to use churches as the venue for their activities rather than halls and theatres, and to have meetings extended over a longer period rather than those of only a few days. Hoople also supported the Prohibition movement
and both allowed his churches to be used as venues for temperance rallies and to speak at them.
On January 1, 1904 Hoople resigned as pastor of the Utica Avenue Pentecostal church exactly ten years after he began the work in Brooklyn. At the 1904 annual meeting of the APCA, the delegates elected Hoople as both field evangelist and superintendent of home missions with an annual salary of $1,200 per year. However, by the end of 1904 Hoople resigned his full-time salaried position in the APCA partly because the committee would not act on his recommendations regarding the debt-ridden Pentecostal Collegiate Institute
. While remaining a minister within the APCA, Hooper then worked with Henry B. "Harry" Hosley (born November 1861 in New York; died 1925), then pastor of the Wesleyan Pentecostal APCA Church in Washington D.C. with the Pentecostal League, a "transdenominational Wesleyan holiness movement
" that had been founded in 1891 in Britain by Anglican barrister
Richard Reader Harris (born July 5, 1847 in Worcester, England; died March 30, 1909 in London, England) to "spread Scriptural Holiness by unsectarian methods."
, Hoople began a thirteen-year pastorate at this church. By September 1907 the church had relocated to a site at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Sumpter Street, Brooklyn, which they had purchased for $6,500. The new site was dedicated on Sunday April 14, 1907, and a building seating 800 was constructed and opened about September 1, 1907. The church was to be a memorial to BeVier.
At a meeting held at the Utica Avenue church between the leaders of the APCA (including Hoople and John Norberry) and Phineas F. Bresee
, Christian Wismer (C.W.) Ruth (born September 1, 1865 in Hilltown, Pennsylvania; died May 27, 1941 in Wilmore, Kentucky
) and other representatives of the California-based Church of the Nazarene, on Thursday, April 11, 1907, "amidst tears, and laughter, and shouts, and every possible manifestation of holy
joy", a plan of union between the two denominations was agreed unanimously, with consummation to be at Chicago in October. In May 1903 Ruth had contact with the APCA at a camp meeting in which he was one of the preachers. As he was considerably impressed with the APCA, he wrote Bresee from Allentown, Pennsylvania
that "William Howard Hoople, H. F. Reynolds, and C. Howard Davis led a 'plain, fire-baptized, Holy Ghost people' who conducted "about the noisiest and 'shoutinest'" camp meeting he had ever attended." After hearing Bresee preach, Hoople said to his friends and associates, "If we cannot unite with a man like that, God have mercy on us." Despite the enthusiasm of the denominational leaders, union required considerable negotiation as, like many other pastors in the APCA, Hoople was a strong, independent-minded leader "who resented any compromise of congregational autonomy". Only a few weeks earlier, Hoople had written in the Beulah Christian: "With some of us our present form of government is a matter of principle." Hoople was willing to unite with the Church of the Nazarene if it would "consent to the Congregational form of government; [however] if it is to be the connectional Episcopal
form there is one person in the Association who will be left out of the Union - the writer." After the plan of union was agreed upon, Hoople indicated that he had submerged secondary matters in order to facilitate "a combined attack on the powers of hell and darkness". Hoople admitted that he had had to "gulp a good deal down in order to make the union possible." At the consummation of the union with the Church of the Nazarene, the APCA had 45 congregations and 2,407 members, scattered from Iowa to Nova Scotia, while the Church of the Nazarene reported 48 congregations and 3,827 members at that time.
After the union was completed at 9.30 pm on October 16, 1907, Bresee was elected general superintendent by acclamation, with Hoople one of those who spoke approvingly in favour of Bresee's election. While Hoople polled well in the election of the second general superintendent, ultimately Reynolds was chosen to serve with Bresee.
in Chicago in October 1907, Hoople was appointed the first district superintendent of the New York district (which included both the state of New York but also Connecticut
), a position he held reluctantly until 1911. At the Second General Assembly, which would be deemed later as the founding of the denomination, held at Pilot Point, Texas
in October 1908, Hoople was one of those who seconded the motion to effect the merger with the Holiness Church of Christ on October 13. According to C.B. Jernigan, "Brother W. H. Hoople addressed the Assembly on the prospective joy of the union of the two churches, and expressed satisfaction in seeing nothing but the spirit of Jesus in all the deliberations. "It is holiness that has done it, and Jesus is responsible for it." Nazarene historian Timothy L. Smith recorded: "After the unanimous vote for union had been announced, a wiry little Texan started across the platform saying, 'I haven't hugged a Yankee since before the Civil War, but I'm going to hug one now.' At once Brooklyn's William Howard Hoople, his 275 pounds adorned with a glorious handlebar mustache, leaped up from the other end of the platform and met the Texan near the pulpit. Their embrace set off a celebration. The gap between North and South was closed forever." As a result of the consummation of the union, three general superintendents would be chosen. On the first ballot both Bresee and Reynolds were re-elected, with Hoople and Edgar P. Ellyson tied in third. On the second ballot Ellyson was elected.
) served as Hoople's associate pastor at this time. While Hoople was not known as a great preacher, he was known as a great pastor. His enthusiasm never failed to rally the people, and he lifted his melodious voice in song whenever the worship service lagged, raising the spirits of his congregation." In May 1913 Hoople was subpoena
ed to appear in court after Rebecca Yankolowitz (born in Russia in 1897), who had converted to Christianity and joined the John Wesley Church, ran away from her home and could not be located by her parents, Morris, a kosher butcher, and Bertha. During his thirteen years of leadership this congregation grew from 163 members reported in October 1908 to 350 members.
Hoople was one of the featured preachers at the Third General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene held in the auditorium of the Pentecostal Mission at Fourth Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee
and also in the Ryman Auditorium
in October 1911. At this General Assembly, a General Foreign Missionary Board was created, with Hoople elected president. In 1912 Hoople was asked to chair a committee to investigate whether his friend H.B. Hosley, a pastor of "incurable independence", who had been pastor of the Washington D.C. Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene since Sunday, 28 December 1902, (thus replacing founding pastor Charles Howard Davis), and the founding district Superintendent of the Washington District of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene since October 1907, should be disciplined. In 1910 Hosley had transferred the ownership of the church's property in Washington D.C. to an interdenominational holiness trust. Hoople, "a champion of local church autonomy", exonerated Hosley, who after June 1913 subsequently resigned and withdrew with the majority of his congregation from the denomination into a new group that was "Wesleyan in doctrine" but "independent and congregational" in government. Hoople was one of the dominant voices at the Fourth General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene held at the Kansas City First Church at the corner of 24th Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri
, from 30 September 1915.
As a result of the disorganisation of the University Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, California
and the removal of its pastor, Seth Cook Rees (born at Westfield, Indiana
on 6 August 1854; died 22 May 1933 at Pasadena, California
), by fiat of the district superintendent on 25 February 1917, Hoople (who always had reservations about the need and power of the superintendents in the Church of the Nazarene) wrote to General Superintendent Hiram F. Reynolds in early 1917 that "the only basis under which he would continue to stay in the church was that he be released from all he had formerly agreed to 'in the line of Superintendency.' He would thereafter 'privately and publicly advocate away with all Superintendents." A few months later Hoople took a leave of absence from the John Wesley Church to participate actively in World War I
. During Hoople's absence John Norberry served as pastor of the John Wesley Church.
with the YMCA
. He was appointed a secretary of the National War Council of the Y.M.C.A. of the USA. On 18 May 1918 Hoople sailed for France. While in France, Hoople worked incessantly at the front line
s as an entertainer, where he not only raised the spirits of the troops with "his melodious singing", but also led many soldiers to Christ. Hoople preached "in barns, buildings that had been shot to pieces, from the tail end of wagons, and auto trucks. His great voice led them many times in singing the old hymns that reminded them of home and sacred things. He won the hearts of thousands of those laddies, until he was commonly known among the regiment as 'Pop'." While on the front lines, Hoople was exposed to poisonous gas, and his health was subsequently damaged for the rest of his life. He was subsequently stationed in Italy and Germany, before returning to Brooklyn and his ministry at the John Wesley Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. However, by 1919 Hoople was the pastor of the Utica Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle that he had founded in 1894, and Rev. A.E. Reid was listed as the pastor at John Wesley church.
After 15 September 1919 Hoople left New York again to serve with the International Committee of the YMCA in Vladivostok
, Siberia
; China; and Japan. Hoople again ministered to the American Expeditionary Force
s stationed in Siberia, and assisted in relief work among the civilian population. On his way to Siberia, Hoople visited Mukden to see his daughter, Ruth, who had been serving as a YWCA missionary to China since September 1917. After serving in Siberia, Hoople was able to visit Ruth who was now serving in Peking, China, where he was able to preach frequently. On 7 March 1920 Hoople arrived in Seattle, Washington
on the Japanese ship Suwa Maru, having left Yokohama
, Japan on 19 February 1920.
building in the Crown Heights
area built in 1905, with five of his children; his two spinster sisters-in-law, Henrietta and Louise; and a boarder. Rev. Susan Norris Fitkin (born in Quebec, Canada on March 31, 1869; died October 18, 1951 in Alameda, California
), the first general president of the Woman's Missionary Society for the Church of the Nazarene
(now Nazarene Missions International) (1915–1948), her husband, Rev. Abram Edward Fitkin
(born September 18, 1878 in Brooklyn, New York; died March 18, 1933 in New York city), and three of their children, were living nearby at 271 Brooklyn Avenue at this time.
Pole Rings and Fastenings". By 1902 Hoople was a director of Raimes & Company (established 1892). By 1909 he was also the president (having replaced his father who had been vice-president when he died in 1908), a New York-based company that manufactured druggist's supplies, such as "soft gelatine capsules, potassium ioxide
, and galenicals
".
In April 1908 Hoople was a part of a consortium
that founded the Circle Publishing Company with its headquarters in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
building at 15 West 26th Street and 50 Madison Avenue in New York city, and purchased The Circle magazine (founded 1906) from the Funk & Wagnalls Company, with Hoople becoming the founding vice president and treasurer, and Eugene Thwing (born in Quincy, Massachusetts
on January 17, 1866; died in Ridgewood, New Jersey
on May 29, 1936), editor of The Circle since its inception, becoming president. However by 1910 the magazine failed, and was eventually sold in 1911 to the Thwing Company founded by Eugene Thwing. By 1909 Hoople was a director of the New York branch of the Cerebos
Salt Company (founded in 1894), which had its registered office at 50 Ferry Street, New York, and appeared on the US market about 1904. By 1916 Hoople was the president of the Interstate Electric Corporation. By 1911 Hoople was listed as a director of the Spider Manufacturing Company, which made components for bicycles and automobiles, and was headquartered in his property at 50 Ferry Street, New York City. In 1916 Hoople was the founding president and one of the leading businessmen in a consortium that helped capitalize the American Motors Corp. founded by Louis Chevrolet
in Plainfield, New Jersey
. Hoople was president of American Motors until his death in 1922. On January 25, 1917 the Hoople Corporation, which sold "metal polish, drugs, medicines, chemicals, baking powder
, soaps, [and] groceries" was incorporated in New York state with $30,000 capital.
After the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1917, Raimes & Company, the American agents of Franz Schulz, Jr. Co., a German company incorporated in New Jersey
(in which Hoople then held 2% of the shares) that manufactured metal polish, attempted to seize the Schulz factory in order to preserve it and to allow its business to continue during the war. The owners of Franz Schulz., Jr. Co. subsequently sued Raimes & Company, for breach of contract and outstanding debts due to the Trading with the Enemy Act and the Alien Enemy Act. On May 2, 1917, just prior to his embarkation for France, Hoople transferred his property at 250 Front Street in Manhattan, that had previously belonged to his father, to his two surviving sisters, Bessie M. H. Nichols and Mary E. H. Staebler. In 1921 Hoople was the president of the Commonwealth Light & Power Co., with Abram Fitkin
one of the directors.
in Westchester County, New York.
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
; the co-founder of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America, one of the antecedent groups that merged to create the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
; rescue mission organizer; an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene, and first superintendent of the New York District of the Church of the Nazarene; YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
worker; baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
gospel singer; successful businessman and investor; and inventor.
Family background
Hoople was born in Herkimer, New YorkHerkimer (town), New York
Herkimer is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States, southeast of Utica. It is named after Nicholas Herkimer. The population was 9,962 at the 2000 census.The town contains a village also called Herkimer...
, on August 6, 1868, the oldest child and only son of Canadian immigrants William Gordon Hoople (born April 3, 1841 in Dickinson's Landing
Dickinson's Landing, Ontario
Dickinson's Landing is an underwater ghost town in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of Ontario's Lost Villages, which were permanently flooded by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958....
, Eastern District, Upper Canada
Eastern District, Upper Canada
Eastern District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Known as Lunenburg District until 1792, it was abolished in 1849...
; died December 28, 1908 of "acute indigestion" in New York), an Episcopalian clerk employed by his uncle, and Agnes T. Blackburn (born March 1844 in Osnabruck Township
South Stormont, Ontario
South Stormont is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998, by amalgamating the former geographic townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck....
, Eastern District, Upper Canada
Eastern District, Upper Canada
Eastern District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Known as Lunenburg District until 1792, it was abolished in 1849...
; died 1915), an Episcopalian
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
school teacher. William and Agnes, were childhood sweetheart
Sweetheart
Sweetheart can be:*The term of endearment applied to a person's significant other**Childhood sweetheart*Forgetful of bringing drinks to fellow coworkers*Sweetheart , recorded by Rainy Davis and re-recorded by Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri...
s who grew up in Osnabruck
South Stormont, Ontario
South Stormont is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998, by amalgamating the former geographic townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck....
in Stormont County, Ontario, near the Long Sault
Long Sault
This article refers to the rapid on the St. Lawrence River, for the once named Long Sault Rapids on the Ottawa River which was involved in the Battle of Long Sault and the Beaver War, please see Carillon, Quebec or Carillon Canal...
just across the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
from Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, an area had been settled originally by the 1st Battalion of Sir John Johnson's
John Johnson (Loyalist)
Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet of New York was a Loyalist leader during the American Revolution, a politician in Canada and a wealthy landowner. He was the son of Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet, who had been the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the province and accumulated much land...
King's Royal Regiment of New York
King's Royal Regiment of New York
The King's Royal Regiment of New York was one of the first Loyalist regiments raised in Canada during the American Revolutionary War....
(also known informally as the Royal New Yorkers and the Royal Greens) after the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in 1783. WG Hoople had been born on a farm on the banks of Hoople's Creek granted about 1797 to his grandfather Henry Hoople (born 1760 in Cherry Valley, New York
Cherry Valley (town), New York
Cherry Valley is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 1,266 at the 2000 census.Within the Town of Cherry Valley is a village, also called Cherry Valley...
; died 1838 in Stormont, Ontario, Canada) on the Second Concession by the British government as reward for fighting for the Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
cause. "Willie" Gordon Hoople was born after the death of his grandfather, however the farm was supervised by his grandmother, Henry's widow, Mary Whitmore "Granny" Hoople (born in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1767; died 1858), who, after the massacre of her parents and two siblings on Easter Day
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, March 26, 1780, had been abducted from the family farm at Mud Creek (now Jerseytown, Pennsylvania
Jerseytown, Pennsylvania
Jerseytown is a census-designated place in Madison Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 150 at the 2000 census...
) by the Delaware Indians
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
and lived among them for seven years. After their marriage in 1788, Mary and Henry had twelve children: nine sons and three daughters, with Willie's father, Joseph Hoople ((born 1809 in Newington, Ontario; died 1892 in Newington). being the eleventh child and youngest son.
In April 1862 William G. Hoople migrated to 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...
, in the same month as the second marriage of his father. After three years of advanced education in a New York academy financed by his uncle, in 1865 W.G. entered the firm of his uncle, William Henry Hoople (born 1805 in Ontario, Canada; died June 17, 1895 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in the southwest part of the town of Greenburgh. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 7,849. It lies on U.S. Route 9, "Broadway" in Hastings...
, age 89), a widower who was also a prosperous businessman, whose son, William H. Hoople, Jr., had refused to enter the family business. WH Hoople had founded Van Nostrand & Hoople in 1832 with John Van Nostrand at 38 Ferry Street, near the corner with Cliff Street, in an area of lower Manhattan known as "The Swamp", the fetid southeastern blocks of the city centred on Jacob and Ferry Streets just east of City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
, that had been "the (stinking) locus
Locus (mathematics)
In geometry, a locus is a collection of points which share a property. For example a circle may be defined as the locus of points in a plane at a fixed distance from a given point....
of the tanning and leather currying
Currier
A currier is a specialist in the leather processing industry. After the tanning process, the currier applies techniques of dressing, finishing and colouring to the tanned hide to make it strong, flexible and waterproof...
industry" since the late 1690s. This firm sold tanning materials and dyes.
After two years working for his uncle in a clerical position, W.G. Hoople returned to Canada to marry Agnes at the Long Sault (now South Stormont), Ontario on June 26, 1867. Soon after William Howard Hoople's birth in August 1868, the family moved from Herkimer to New York city. W.G. Hoople acquired US citizenship on July 27, 1869, at which time the family resided at 117 2nd Avenue
Second Avenue (Manhattan)
Second Avenue is an avenue on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan extending from Houston Street at its south end to the Harlem River Drive at 128th Street at its north end. A one-way street, vehicular traffic runs only downtown. A bicycle lane in the left hand portion from 55th...
(at the corner with Seventh Street) in what was then in the Little Germany section of the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of New York City. By 1870 the family had relocated to Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
, where WG Hoople lived with his wife; his widowed mother-in-law, Sarah Blackburn; and his son, William Howard Hoople; and a servant. Subsequently their family was enlarged through the births of his three daughters:
- Mary Edith Hoople Staebler (born 19 April 1870 in Jamaica, Long Island, New York; died 1955);
- Clara L. Hoople (born 1873 in New York; died 1873); and
- Bessie Maude Hoople Nichols (born June 1880 in New York; died 1966).
After the retirement of his uncle in 1870, and after five years "learning the ropes", W.G. Hoople became a partner and managed Van Nostrand & Hoople, until his uncle's death on 17 June 1895. As a reward for his stewardship, W.G. Hoople received a sizable inheritance of $55,000 in real estate from his uncle. The success of his various business enterprises resulted in William G. Hoople becoming a multi-millionaire. In 1870 Hoople, in partnership with Edward Everett Androvette, established Hoople & Androvette, dealers in tanning materials and dyes, at 250 Front Street, New York city
Front Street (Manhattan)
Front Street is a street on the east side of Lower Manhattan, running northeast from Old Slip in the Financial District through South Street Seaport to Dover Street near the Brooklyn Bridge....
, a five-story building that they purchased in September 1902. Also in 1870 W.G. Hoople and Loring Andrew Robertson (born November 12, 1828 in Windham, New York; died October 9, 1890 in New York) formed Robertson & Hoople, which traded as a leather merchant. On January 3, 1884 W.G. Hoople and Robertson incorporated the New York Leather Belting Company which manufactured oak-tanned leather belting, waterproof leather halting, and electric belts at its factory at the corner of South Eleventh Street and Kent Avenue, Brooklyn. Additionally, W.G. Hoople had established Hoople & Nichols, in partnership with William S. Nichols (born February 1845 in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
; died September 25, 1892), whose son, Albert I. Nichols, later became his partner in the firm, and also married his youngest daughter, Bessie. This firm imported shellac
Shellac
Shellac is a resin secreted by the female lac bug, on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. It is processed and sold as dry flakes , which are dissolved in ethyl alcohol to make liquid shellac, which is used as a brush-on colorant, food glaze and wood finish...
, but later expanded to become a hardware store
Hardware store
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware including: fasteners, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for...
, selling brushes. WG Hoople was also involved in real estate investments. In September 1893 WG Hoople purchased four multi-story buildings at Peck Slip and Pearl Street, Manhattan that were under foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
, while in August 1897 he sold a four-story brownstone-front building near the infamous Five Points
Five Points, Manhattan
Five Points was a neighborhood in central lower Manhattan in New York City. The neighborhood was generally defined as being bound by Centre Street in the west, The Bowery in the east, Canal Street in the north and Park Row in the south...
at 32 Great Jones Street
Great Jones Street
__notoc__Great Jones Street is a street in New York City's NoHo district in Manhattan, essentially another name for 3rd Street between Broadway and the Bowery....
for $27,000, and in 1899 he sold the building that housed his offices at 38 Ferry Street, New York, to philanthropist businessman Charles Adolph Schieren (born February 28, 1842 in Germany; died March 15, 1915), the penultimate mayor of Brooklyn (1894–1895). WG Hoople was also a director of the Hide and Leather Bank that had been established on June 15, 1891 and was headquartered in a ten-story building at 88-90 Gold Street. By 1909 WG Hoople was also a member of the New York Drug Trade Club.
Education and business
By 1879 the WG Hoople family had moved to 352 Greene Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. William Howard Hoople was one of the first twelve students at the Pratt InstitutePratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
, a co-educational trade school at Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Clinton Hill is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is bordered on the east by Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the west by Fort Greene, on the north by Wallabout Bay and on the south by Prospect Heights...
, established on October 17, 1887 and endowed by Charles Pratt
Charles Pratt
Charles Pratt was a United States capitalist, businessman and philanthropist.Pratt was a pioneer of the U.S. petroleum industry, and established his kerosene refinery Astral Oil Works in Brooklyn, New York. An advertising slogan was "The holy lamps of Tibet are primed with Astral Oil." He...
(1830–1891), the wealthy co-founder of Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
, "for training skilled artisans, foremen, designers and draftsmen". After graduation from Pratt Institute, Hoople attended another business college in Brooklyn. About 1888 Hoople was still living at 1475 Pacific Street, Brooklyn with his parents. Soon after Hoople opened his own leather business, which manufactured Goodyear Welting at a factory he built on a property owned by his great uncle, William H. Hoople, at 50 Ferry Street, 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...
. Upon the death of his great uncle in 1895, he inherited this property, then valued at $10,000.
Family
On May 2, 1891 Hoople married Victoria Irene Cranford (born May 24, 1867 in Brooklyn, New York; died April 1952) in the home of Victoria's parents.By 1896 the Hooples were living at 102 Decatur Street, Brooklyn. The Hooples had one daughter and five sons:
- Ruth Agnes Hoople (born January 14, 1892 in New York; died July 1972 in Syracuse, New York), who graduated from Syracuse UniversitySyracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1914, and completed a Master of Arts in History in 1915; worked for the next two years in social service in Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
for the YWCA; was as a missionary with the YWCA in China (1917–1928), serving in Peking (1917–1918), at the Girls' Normal School in Mukden, ManchuriaManchuriaManchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
(1918–1920, 1924), and Tientsin (from 1920, where she was general secretary of the YWCA in Tientsin); began a Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
program at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1922; and later served as a chaplain at the Syracuse University, and as the executive secretary of the Syracuse-in-China programme (1941–1952); - William Clifford Hoople (born October 20, 1893 in New York; died September 2, 1943 in New York "of a heart ailment"), married Marguerite (Marjorie) Landenberger (born October 24, 1893 in Pennsylvania; died December 1978 in New Hampshire) in 1915, graduated from Syracuse University in 1920, coached rowing at Harvard University, and became an artist who provided illustrations for the American Legion Weekly; Saturday Evening Post, Country GentlemanCountry GentlemanCountry Gentleman was an agricultural magazine founded in 1831 in Rochester, NY by Luther Tucker. The magazine was purchased by Curtis Publishing Company in 1911. Curtis redirected the magazine to address the business side of farming, which was largely ignored by the agricultural magazines of the...
, Farm Life, and McCall'sMcCall'sMcCall's was a monthly American women's magazine that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-format magazine called The Queen in 1873...
, and to accompany the writing of Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
; WC Hoople was considered one of the contemporary artistic rivals of Norman RockwellNorman RockwellNorman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
; - Gordon Douglass "Gymp" Hoople (born 19 February 1895 in Brooklyn, New York; died 4 June 1973 in Syracuse, New York), who after completing his Bachelor of ScienceBachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(1919) and M.D.Doctor of MedicineDoctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(1922) at Syracuse UniversitySyracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
and his intern
InternInternship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
ship in Brooklyn, spent four months as a missionary in Chengdu, China from December 1921, married Dorothea L. Brokaw on August 2, 1922, before departing on August 24, 1922 to serve as a missionary doctor under the Methodist Episcopal churchMethodist Episcopal ChurchThe Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
as part of the Syracuse-in-China programme in Chongqing, China, Professor of OtolaryngologyOtolaryngologyOtolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
at Syracuse University (1928–1953), who served on the Board of Trustees of the university since 1931, and chairman by 1962, and was awarded The George Arents Pioneer Medal in 1951 and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by his alma materAlma materAlma 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:...
in 1967. During World War II, Gordon D. Hoople served as a major in the US Army Medical CorpsMedical Corps (United States Army)The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
. The Gordon D. Hoople Special Education and Rehabilitation Building of Syracuse UniversitySyracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, which was completed in February 1953, is at the corner of South Crouse Avenue and Marshall Street, contains the Gordon D. Hoople Hearing and Speech Center. - Howard Cranford "Tot" Hoople (born October 12, 1897 in New York; died August 27, 1977 in Damariscotta, MaineDamariscotta, MaineDamariscotta is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,041 at the 2000 census. A popular tourist resort area, the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle are linked by the Main Street bridge over the Damariscotta River, forming the "Twin Villages." The name Damariscotta is...
), a graduate of Syracuse University in 1921, married Nelda Rautenberg (born June 14, 1898; died August 1985 in Maine) in the summer of 1921 in New York, who by 1930 was a life insurance salesman; and who from 1945 to its temporary closure in 1965, owned Camp Med-O-Lark on Washington Pond, Washington, MaineWashington, MaineWashington is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,345 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
;
By June 1900 Hoople and Victoria were living back at 1475 Pacific Street, Brooklyn with three servants, and Henrietta (Hettie), Victoria's 49 year-old spinster
Spinster
A spinster, or old maid, is an older, childless woman who has never been married.For a woman to be identified as a spinster, age is critical...
sister.
- Ross Earle Hoople (born June 30, 1900 in New York; died June 17, 1946), graduated from the philosophy department of Syracuse University in June 1922, attended Harvard in 1922-1923, married Ruth T. Pearsall (died November 21, 1958 in Syracuse, New York) at the Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon, New YorkMount Vernon, New YorkMount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...
on June 1926, and was by 1932 professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University, and chairman of the Faculty Forum on Religion, and later the author of Preface to Philosophy: Book of Readings (1946); and - Robert Blackburn Hoople (born February 25, 1905 in New York; died March 31, 1992 in Binghamton, New YorkBinghamton, New YorkBinghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
), who graduated from Syracuse University in 1926, later earned a Master of ArtsMaster of Arts (postgraduate)A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree.
Personal
According to Basil Miller, "Hoople was a mighty man in frame as well as spirit, for he stood six feet and six inches (when he took off his leather shoes) and pushed the scale beam up at 250 pounds". In another account Hoople is described as "a large man with a commanding presence and great earnestness of manner."Spiritual background
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
of the Central Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
located at Hancock Street, near Franklin Avenue in Brooklyn, and later became a member of that church. In December 1885 Hoople attended an evangelistic service for young men in the newly opened building of the Central Branch of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
at 502 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Fulton Street (Brooklyn)
Fulton Street, named after engineer Robert Fulton, exists mainly in two parts in what are today two boroughs of New York City which Fulton linked by his steam ferries, and each segment has its own distinct identity. This entry deals with Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which now begins at the...
held by Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey, and at the conclusion of the service, while the choir sang Just as I Am
Just As I Am (hymn)
Just as I Am is a well-known hymn, written by Charlotte Elliott in 1835, first appearing in the Christian Remembrancer, of which Elliott became the editor in 1836. The final verse is taken from Elliott's Hours of Sorrow Cheered and Comforted ....
, responded to the gospel invitation and "walked into the arms of Jesus". In an interview for the Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name...
in February 1895, Hooper indicated: "I was converted nine years ago at the Central branch of the Young Men's Christian association in Brooklyn". Hoople believed he was saved from "a life of frivolity and ambition."
Hoople was a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
who "was blessed with a beautiful voice", Hoople was described in 1933 as "a great singer, having a fine, deep, powerful voice. If he couldn't accomplish his purpose in any other way, he sang his way through." Hoople often sang solos and led the singing in churches of various denominations, at the Methodist Home for the Aged in Brooklyn, and at services sponsored by the YMCA and the Christian Endeavor Society
Young People's Society of Christian Endeavour
The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor was a nondenominational evangelical society founded in Portland, Maine, in 1881 by Francis Edward Clark...
. Additionally, by 1891 Hoople spoke regularly in YMCA meetings, and preached in the Bethesda Congregational Church while the pastor was on vacation. Hoople was a member of the "famous Hadley Male Quartet", which further spread Hoople's fame and influence in the city. One report indicated: "If there were no other way through, the quartet helped Hoople sing his way through. When this quartet sang to an audience of six thousand at a meeting of J. Wilbur Chapman's
John Wilbur Chapman
John Wilbur Chapman was a Presbyterian evangelist in the late 19th Century, generally traveling with gospel singer Charles Alexander. His parents were Alexander H. and Lorinda Chapman.-Faith & Education:Chapman grew up attending Quaker Day School and Methodist Sunday School...
revival in New York city there were few dry eyes."
On June 18, 1891 Hoople was elected the first treasurer of the nonsectarian
Nonsectarian
Nonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations either not affiliated with or not restricted to a particular religious denomination though the organization...
Industrial Christian Alliance, which would give "practical help to the outcast poor", in a similar manner to the methods of the Salvation Army
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....
. By July 14, 1891 the ICA was incorporated. On November 30, 1891 the Alliance opened a 39 bed home at 113 MacDougal Street
MacDougal Street
MacDougal Street is a one way street in Greenwich Village in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The approximate six-block street is bound by Prince Street and West 8th Street. It has been the subject of many songs, poems, and other forms of artistic expression. MacDougal Street has been...
(today the site of the Minetta Tavern), near Hoople's business, where the poor could stay for up to sixty days, "be cleaned, clothed, treated medically and mentally", and given the opportunity to work in one of the sponsoring businesses. Plans were to establish a depot for women, rescue missions, and to establish kindergartens, day nurseries, and industrial schools. One of the activities of the ICA was to establish a broom factory where the residents could work in exchange for their room and board, and the brooms and whisks were sold to generate income for the ICA. As a result of the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
, unemployment and poverty increased dramatically in this area, necessitating the relocation of the ICA home to a 100 bed facility at 170 Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is a street in New York City's Manhattan borough. It is perhaps most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street is a spine that connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which was once a major center for American bohemia.Bleecker...
by May 1, 1893. During the Winter of 1893, the ICA opened the People's Restaurant at its headquarters at 170 Bleecker Street and at six other locations. The ICA provided a million meals to the impoverished unemployed for only 5 cents for a hot meal for a family of four people, but by the end of 1894 the ICA was pleading to the general public for the first time for additional financial resources, and Hoople was no longer treasurer.
John Street Methodist Church
The John Street United Methodist Church located at 44 John Street in Manhattan, New York, USA was built in 1841. It is the third church located at the site...
at 44 John Street, 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...
. There he met Charles H. BeVier (born September 5, 1858; died about 1905), "a zealous witness to holiness and choir leader at the largest Methodist church in Brooklyn." According to Nazarene historian Timothy L. Smith
Timothy L. Smith
Timothy Lawrence Smith was a noted historian and educator, known as the first American evangelical historian to gain notability in research and higher education.-Early life and education:...
, "Hoople thought BeVier's "fanaticism" a pity, and set out to argue his new friend into rejecting sanctification. Instead, Hoople wound up finding the blessing himself" in his own shop in 1893. Hoople began attending some holiness meetings held in private homes in Brooklyn, "where they could worship God in the freedom of the Spirit." In July 1893 Hoople underwrote the expenses for the first ever camp meeting
Camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
to be held in the small hamlet of Nanuet, New York
Nanuet, New York
Nanuet is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Pearl River; south of New City; east of Spring Valley and west of West Nyack. It is 19 miles north of Manhattan, and 2 miles north of the New Jersey border...
, near his country home. At that time Hoople was a still a member of Central Congregational Church, which was pastored by Dr. Adolphus J.F. Behrends (born 1839 in Holland; died c.1899 in New York). However, by October 1893 Hoople had left the Congregational church and was attending the Methodist church at Windsor Terrace
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
Windsor Terrace is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Prospect Park to the northeast and Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, to the southwest. Its southeastern boundary is Caton Avenue, while to the northwest it is bordered by Prospect Park West...
, Flatbush
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
. In 1895 Hoople indicated that because he became an adherent of “Methodist doctrine”, he was "unwelcome in the Calvinistic church that nurtured his early faith in Christ".
Ministry
Soon after his entire sanctification, Hoople continued to operate as a leather merchant in business hours, but each evening he began preaching on the streets, in rented halls, and "wherever a tiny crack in some mission door appeared". Gradually Hoople believed that "God was leading him to provide a place where sanctified people could sing and shout to their hearts' content". Consequently, Hoople rented a former saloonBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
(next to a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
) at 123 Schenectady Avenue in Brooklyn. Hoople had it cleaned and furnished, and on New Year's Day, 1894, began holding services. On January 4, 1894 Hoople and BeVier, who led a Methodist mission 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...
, opened an Independent Holiness Mission, with Hoople being elected superintendent by the members. From the beginning the basic motivation was to establish a holiness work and especially to preach to the poor.
Utica Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle (1894-1904)
From this mission a congregation developed rapidly, necessitating relocation to a larger facility. Hoople; John Norberry (born July 29, 1867 in Paterson, New JerseyPaterson, New Jersey
Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
; died September 26, 1937 at Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Neptune Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. It had a population of 3,342 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to the north and Bradley Beach to the south...
), a Methodist local preacher; and Richard T. Ryons (born 1834; died January 17, 1915 in Brooklyn), a Methodist who had been an actor in the troupe managed by Laura Keene
Laura Keene
Laura Keene was a British-born American stage actress and manager. In her twenty-year career, she became known as the first powerful female manager in New York.-Early life:...
, found a vacant lot on nearby Utica Avenue
Utica Avenue
Utica Avenue is a major avenue in Brooklyn, New York, one of several named for cities in Upstate New York. It runs north–south with its south end at Flatbush Avenue, and is continued by Malcolm X Boulevard in Bedford-Stuyvesant north of Eastern Parkway....
, between Dean and Bergen Streets, which, after the three knelt down and prayed, believed was the right location. Hoople purchased the lot with money borrowed from his father. In April 1894 Hoople's father funded the estimated $2,000 cost to erect a simple one-story frame tabernacle
Tabernacle (disambiguation)
The Tabernacle most commonly refers to the Jewish Tabernacle , which was a movable tent and worship facility used by the Israelites for the worship of Yahweh as recorded in the Book of Exodus...
-style church building that measured 49.5 feet in length and the same in width on the site. Just over three weeks after the building permit was granted, the new church was opened on May 16, 1894 with Hoople as pastor and 32 charter members. The Utica Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle was dedicated on June 15, 1894 with the dedication sermon preached at 7.30pm by Methodist Rev. Dr. M.D. Collins of Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Neptune Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. It had a population of 3,342 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to the north and Bradley Beach to the south...
. Redford recorded:
Despite the lack of architectural beauty, a greater spirit of worship was there than was found in many magnificent church structures. The unusual spiritual enthusiasm drew such crowds that frequently numbers of persons were turned away from the services. The membership grew rapidly, and the lives of many persons were transformed.
Late in 1894 Hoople was ordained, with prominent holiness movement leader Baptist Rev. Edgar M. Levy
Edgar M. Levy
Edgar M. Levy was a Baptist minister who was influential in the 19th century American holiness movement. Along with Rev. Absalom E. Earle, he was the foremost Baptist advocate for the experience of Christian Perfection or Entire Sanctification in 19th century America.He was born in St. Mary's,...
(born November 23, 1822 in St. Marys, Georgia
St. Marys, Georgia
-See also:*Cumberland Island*St. Marys Historic District*St. Marys Railroad-External links:***...
; died October 30, 1906 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
), who co-founded the Douglas, Massachusetts
Douglas, Massachusetts
Douglas is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,471 as of the 2010 census. It includes the sizable Douglas State Forest, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation .- History :...
Holiness Camp Meeting in 1875, preaching the ordination sermon. Just prior to Christmas 1894, the non-denominational New-York State Holiness Association was opened in this building, with BeVier elected president, and Hoople elected vice-president.
At 9.30 am on February 1, 1895 Hoople opened the Bedford Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle at the corner of south Third Street and Bedford Avenue
Bedford Avenue (Brooklyn)
Bedford Avenue is the longest street in Brooklyn, New York City, stretching and 132 blocks from Greenpoint south to Sheepshead Bay, and passing through the neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Flatbush and Midwood....
in east Brooklyn in a former Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
church which they leased for $1,000 per year. The congregation was organised as the Bedford Avenue Pentecostal Church on February 24, 1895 with 20 charter members. By January 1897 this congregation had grown to about 130 members. John Norberry was called to be its pastor. The church was congregational in polity
Polity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
with two elders (Hoople and Ryon), three deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s, and two deaconess
Deaconess
Deaconess is a non-clerical order in some Christian denominations which sees to the care of women in the community. That word comes from a Greek word diakonos as well as deacon, which means a servant or helper and occurs frequently in the Christian New Testament of the Bible. Deaconesses trace...
es. It was independent of all denominations, and its doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
was self-described as "Bible holiness and entire sanctification obtainable in this life". It prohibited raising funds through church fairs, entertainments or picnics. Hoople indicated: "I do not believe that money for the Lord should be raised through the medium of a man's stomach, or his mere love of amusements. The only offerings that will find favor in His sight is free will offerings." In 1895 Hoople described himself in the Christian Witness as a Congregationalist who had “embraced Methodist doctrine”. This logic lay behind the churches Hoople shepherded in Brooklyn. He rejected American Methodism’s episcopal system. Hoople received no salary for his ministry, and paid most of the expenses including rent, gas, and heat himself as the members of his congregation were often impoverished. One 1897 newspaper account indicated: "His work in the church is a labor of love. He receives no salary. The little church he built and paid for with his own money." At that time a church representative (possibly Hoople himself) explained:
We are an Independent, dependent body, and are not come-outerCome-outerCome-outer is a phrase coined in the 1830s which denotes a person who withdraws from an established organization, or one who advocates political reform.-History:...
s but as none of the evangelical bodies seemed to desire to push holiness as a second work of grace, and where they had tried this it took a good deal of coaxing and teaching and then after it was about accomplished some one came along and upset the whole thing, because they had control of the temporal power and were opposed to holiness; and as our time here is short and we didn't amount to much, we thought the most sensible thing for us to do was to walk alone with the Triune God. Perhaps this may sound strange to some of my Methodist brethren, but after all you can't expect very much from one who was a Congregationalist and embraced Methodist doctrine. Holiness is apt to make us appear to the world a little peculiar."
As early as February 1895 Hoople envisioned additional congregations: "It is my intention if our two churches become in any way self-supporting to start others in different parts of the town. There is plenty of room for them." The third church planted was the Emmanuel Pentecostal Tabernacle, which was organised in a deserted church building at the corner of Lewis Avenue and Kosciusko Street, Brooklyn on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
(Monday, September 3), 1895 with Frederick William "Fred" Sloat (born January 12, 1875 in New York) ordained as the pastor "amidst the outpouring of the Spirit", with the church membership soon reaching 39.
Association of Pentecostal Churches of America (1895–1907)
On December 12, 1895 Hoople and BeVier, with the assistance of Hiram F. Reynolds, a Methodist minister who had joined Hoople's group in October 1895, organised the three churches into a new holiness denomination, the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America (APCA), which was incorporated in the state of New York about April 8, 1896, with Hoople, Norberry and Sloat as three of the six trustees. While all of the APCA churches were at that time in Brooklyn, the choice of name indicated clearly that the founders had a vision for it to become a national denomination.The APCA proposed union with the Central Evangelical Holiness Association (founded in 1890), and ultimately most of the fifteen congregations of that group became members of the APCA. After initial discussions held in Hoople's parlor from November 11, 1896 that resulted in a plan of union being developed, the union was finalized on April 13, 1897 at Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
. at which time the APCA decided to send its first missionaries to India. A standing missionary committee of twelve members was created to oversee all foreign missionary work, with Hoople elected chairman. This committee was the only central planning body of the denomination. While its focus was on its embryonic work overseas, which was to support missionary work from 1898 in India and from 1900 in Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, its executive committee also increasingly supervised domestic activities.
In May 1897 Hoople was accused by two excommunicated church members of using hypnotism to frequently put some members of his congregation into trances that lasted up to three hours in special meetings held after the usual services, where one woman was allegedly driven insane, and one man even died of a heart attack. One church member indicated that during her sanctification, "I knew nothing of what was going on around me, but I was permitted to see God and he gave me hymns to sing and unhappiness fell from me." Paulin Vauclair, a deaconess in the Utica Avenue church, and one of the women who passed out during the services, denied the accusations against Hoople, indicating "It is the spirit of God which inspires us to act as we do, and Pastor Hoople has no more to do with it than you do." Vauclair indicated that a number of men and women fainted, and that these also occurred when Hoople was absent. Another deacon responded to the accusations: "Pastor Hoople possesses no power save that which comes from the Holy Ghost." After the accounts featured in the Brooklyn Eagle and elsewhere, Hoople took a three weeks' trip and the services were more subdued. However, on May 27, 1897 Hoople was still scheduled to join a number of APCA ministers at the dedication of the new People's Pentecostal Tabernacle APCA church at the corner of Latham and Division streets, Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, with parts in both the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census....
on June 3–4, 1897. Hiram Reynolds recalled in 1933:
About this time we dedicated a church building, over at Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York. At the altar service, following the dedication, the power and glory of God, as in the Old Testament times, so filled the church and fell on the officiating ministers and upon the people that there was no more service in the sanctuarySanctuaryA sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
. Such grace remained upon the ministry that as they were trying to walk to their places of entertainment they laughed, cried and shouted. It took them a
long time to reach the parsonage, for en route they would lean on picket fences, and against buildings, the glory was so great. After reaching the pastor's home they had to wait a long time on the steps, too overcome to climb the stairs.... In the days of the late '90s it was the common experience to see persons fall under 'the power' of God. It was not infrequent to have them, as they recovered from these visitations, shout, laugh and demonstrate in various ways. Invariably on these occasions the glory of God would fill the place and often many of the people.... In these early days, of which we write, the holiness people nearly everywhere practiced getting together, especially in cities, or where there were nearby holiness bodies of different denominational preferences, and having what they termed 'an all day holiness meeting.' . . . We were once having such a meeting in Brooklyn, N. Y. when at the close of the forenoon service, before the speaker could call for seekers, the power and glory of God were poured out upon the entire place, Rev. Wm. Howard Hoople was among the first among the preachers to fall on the platform. Others were prostrated, and many of the lay people present fell and remained under the miraculous power of God even until the afternoon preaching service. The altar services during the afternoon and evening were crowned with seekers."
The APCA grew steadily from 1897 to 1907 as churches were added in New England
New 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...
, the Middle Atlantic states, the District of Columbia, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and the Midwest. Reynolds organized churches in Oxford
Oxford, Nova Scotia
Oxford is a town in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada east of Amherst. The town is directly serviced by Routes 104, 204, 301, and 321.-History:...
and Springhill, Nova Scotia
Springhill, Nova Scotia
-Coal mining:The first industrial coal mining in the area took place in the 1870s after a rail connection was built by the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Company to the newly completed Intercolonial Railway at neighbouring Springhill Junction....
, in 1902. A congregation in Pittsburgh led by John Norris united in 1899. By 1907 there were churches in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. In 1900 the Pentecostal Collegiate Institute (now Eastern Nazarene College
Eastern Nazarene College
The Eastern Nazarene College is a private, coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences in Quincy, Massachusetts near Boston, in the New England region of the United States. Known for its strong religious affiliation, distinctive liberal arts core curriculum, and excellence in science...
) was founded at Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, and relocated to North Scituate, Rhode Island in the fall of 1903.
By 1900 Hoople was a featured speaker in the Brooklyn Forward Movement, a movement that united pastors of various denominations to conduct co-operative evangelistic and civic activities, and to promote temperance. Their approach was to use churches as the venue for their activities rather than halls and theatres, and to have meetings extended over a longer period rather than those of only a few days. Hoople also supported the Prohibition movement
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
and both allowed his churches to be used as venues for temperance rallies and to speak at them.
On January 1, 1904 Hoople resigned as pastor of the Utica Avenue Pentecostal church exactly ten years after he began the work in Brooklyn. At the 1904 annual meeting of the APCA, the delegates elected Hoople as both field evangelist and superintendent of home missions with an annual salary of $1,200 per year. However, by the end of 1904 Hoople resigned his full-time salaried position in the APCA partly because the committee would not act on his recommendations regarding the debt-ridden Pentecostal Collegiate Institute
Pentecostal Collegiate Institute
The Pentecostal Collegiate Institute refers to two antecedents of the Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts:*Pentecostal Collegiate Institute *Pentecostal Collegiate Institute...
. While remaining a minister within the APCA, Hooper then worked with Henry B. "Harry" Hosley (born November 1861 in New York; died 1925), then pastor of the Wesleyan Pentecostal APCA Church in Washington D.C. with the Pentecostal League, a "transdenominational Wesleyan holiness movement
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
" that had been founded in 1891 in Britain by Anglican barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Richard Reader Harris (born July 5, 1847 in Worcester, England; died March 30, 1909 in London, England) to "spread Scriptural Holiness by unsectarian methods."
John Wesley Pentecostal Church (1905-1907)
In 1905, after the death of Charles BeVier, who had been the founding pastor of the John Wesley Pentecostal Church since its organization on December 17, 1896 in a rented storefrontStorefront church
A storefront church is a church housed in a storefront building. Many African American Christians used to hold their worship services in such churches in the early years of the African American Christian experience in post-slavery America. Many African American congregations at that time did not...
, Hoople began a thirteen-year pastorate at this church. By September 1907 the church had relocated to a site at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Sumpter Street, Brooklyn, which they had purchased for $6,500. The new site was dedicated on Sunday April 14, 1907, and a building seating 800 was constructed and opened about September 1, 1907. The church was to be a memorial to BeVier.
Union discussions (April 1907)
Phineas F. Bresee
Phineas F. Bresee was the primary founder of the Church of the Nazarene, and founding president of Point Loma Nazarene University.-Early life and ministry:...
, Christian Wismer (C.W.) Ruth (born September 1, 1865 in Hilltown, Pennsylvania; died May 27, 1941 in Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) and other representatives of the California-based Church of the Nazarene, on Thursday, April 11, 1907, "amidst tears, and laughter, and shouts, and every possible manifestation of holy
joy", a plan of union between the two denominations was agreed unanimously, with consummation to be at Chicago in October. In May 1903 Ruth had contact with the APCA at a camp meeting in which he was one of the preachers. As he was considerably impressed with the APCA, he wrote Bresee from Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
that "William Howard Hoople, H. F. Reynolds, and C. Howard Davis led a 'plain, fire-baptized, Holy Ghost people' who conducted "about the noisiest and 'shoutinest'" camp meeting he had ever attended." After hearing Bresee preach, Hoople said to his friends and associates, "If we cannot unite with a man like that, God have mercy on us." Despite the enthusiasm of the denominational leaders, union required considerable negotiation as, like many other pastors in the APCA, Hoople was a strong, independent-minded leader "who resented any compromise of congregational autonomy". Only a few weeks earlier, Hoople had written in the Beulah Christian: "With some of us our present form of government is a matter of principle." Hoople was willing to unite with the Church of the Nazarene if it would "consent to the Congregational form of government; [however] if it is to be the connectional Episcopal
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
form there is one person in the Association who will be left out of the Union - the writer." After the plan of union was agreed upon, Hoople indicated that he had submerged secondary matters in order to facilitate "a combined attack on the powers of hell and darkness". Hoople admitted that he had had to "gulp a good deal down in order to make the union possible." At the consummation of the union with the Church of the Nazarene, the APCA had 45 congregations and 2,407 members, scattered from Iowa to Nova Scotia, while the Church of the Nazarene reported 48 congregations and 3,827 members at that time.
Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene (1907–1922)
At the General Assembly in Chicago in October 1907, Hoople started to re-consider his support of the union, and had thought of keeping the churches he had pioneered in Brooklyn out of the merger, but he finally acquiesced. After giving an account of the origin and development of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America, Hoople informed the assembled delegates:We thank God for the prosperity we have had; that repeatedly in one section and another we found openings. Today we have something like forty churches, and it is wonderful how the Lord has blessed us. Sometimes it seems that there were periods when things were against us, but we have stood the storm, and come out the stronger.... We have put more members in other churches than we have taken out. We are not sore or fighting. We are just pushing, that is all. We desire to have a heart as big as the world is round.
After the union was completed at 9.30 pm on October 16, 1907, Bresee was elected general superintendent by acclamation, with Hoople one of those who spoke approvingly in favour of Bresee's election. While Hoople polled well in the election of the second general superintendent, ultimately Reynolds was chosen to serve with Bresee.
District Superintendent New York District (1907–1911)
After the merger of the Association of Pentecostal Churches of America with the Church of the Nazarene to form the Pentecostal Church of the NazareneChurch of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
in Chicago in October 1907, Hoople was appointed the first district superintendent of the New York district (which included both the state of New York but also Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
), a position he held reluctantly until 1911. At the Second General Assembly, which would be deemed later as the founding of the denomination, held at Pilot Point, Texas
Pilot Point, Texas
Pilot Point is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,538 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pilot Point is located at ....
in October 1908, Hoople was one of those who seconded the motion to effect the merger with the Holiness Church of Christ on October 13. According to C.B. Jernigan, "Brother W. H. Hoople addressed the Assembly on the prospective joy of the union of the two churches, and expressed satisfaction in seeing nothing but the spirit of Jesus in all the deliberations. "It is holiness that has done it, and Jesus is responsible for it." Nazarene historian Timothy L. Smith recorded: "After the unanimous vote for union had been announced, a wiry little Texan started across the platform saying, 'I haven't hugged a Yankee since before the Civil War, but I'm going to hug one now.' At once Brooklyn's William Howard Hoople, his 275 pounds adorned with a glorious handlebar mustache, leaped up from the other end of the platform and met the Texan near the pulpit. Their embrace set off a celebration. The gap between North and South was closed forever." As a result of the consummation of the union, three general superintendents would be chosen. On the first ballot both Bresee and Reynolds were re-elected, with Hoople and Edgar P. Ellyson tied in third. On the second ballot Ellyson was elected.
John Wesley Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene (1907–1917)
While still superintendent of the New York district, Hoople remained the pastor of the John Wesley Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. At this time Hoople resided at 1417 Dean Street, Brooklyn with his wife Victoria; their six children; Victoria's 53 year-old spinster sister, Emma Louise Cranford; and two servants. In 1911 the church was holding worship services on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings at 8.00 pm, as well as a Holiness meeting and Class meetings at 8.00 pm on Thursday evenings, in addition to a service at 11.00 am and again at 8.00 pm on Sundays. Sunday School was held at 2.30 pm on Sundays, and a Young People's service held at 7.00 pm. On Wednesday evenings at 8.00 pm Hoople conducted a Bible Study and Theology class in his study. Finally, on Fridays at 4.00 pm there were separate Children's and Youth classes. Joseph Caldwell Bearse (born 4 October 1869 in South Chatham, Massachusetts; died 2 July 1931 in South Portland, MaineSouth Portland, Maine
South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
) served as Hoople's associate pastor at this time. While Hoople was not known as a great preacher, he was known as a great pastor. His enthusiasm never failed to rally the people, and he lifted his melodious voice in song whenever the worship service lagged, raising the spirits of his congregation." In May 1913 Hoople was subpoena
Subpoena
A subpoena is a writ by a government agency, most often a court, that has authority to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of subpoena:...
ed to appear in court after Rebecca Yankolowitz (born in Russia in 1897), who had converted to Christianity and joined the John Wesley Church, ran away from her home and could not be located by her parents, Morris, a kosher butcher, and Bertha. During his thirteen years of leadership this congregation grew from 163 members reported in October 1908 to 350 members.
Hoople was one of the featured preachers at the Third General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene held in the auditorium of the Pentecostal Mission at Fourth Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, 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...
and also in the Ryman Auditorium
Ryman Auditorium
The Ryman Auditorium is a 2,362-seat live performance venue, located at 115 5th Avenue North, in Nashville, Tennessee and is best known as the historic home of the Grand Ole Opry....
in October 1911. At this General Assembly, a General Foreign Missionary Board was created, with Hoople elected president. In 1912 Hoople was asked to chair a committee to investigate whether his friend H.B. Hosley, a pastor of "incurable independence", who had been pastor of the Washington D.C. Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene since Sunday, 28 December 1902, (thus replacing founding pastor Charles Howard Davis), and the founding district Superintendent of the Washington District of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene since October 1907, should be disciplined. In 1910 Hosley had transferred the ownership of the church's property in Washington D.C. to an interdenominational holiness trust. Hoople, "a champion of local church autonomy", exonerated Hosley, who after June 1913 subsequently resigned and withdrew with the majority of his congregation from the denomination into a new group that was "Wesleyan in doctrine" but "independent and congregational" in government. Hoople was one of the dominant voices at the Fourth General Assembly of the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene held at the Kansas City First Church at the corner of 24th Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, from 30 September 1915.
As a result of the disorganisation of the University Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and the removal of its pastor, Seth Cook Rees (born at Westfield, Indiana
Westfield, Indiana
Westfield is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. In the year 2010 United States Census, the population was 30,068. Westfield is in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area.- History :...
on 6 August 1854; died 22 May 1933 at Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
), by fiat of the district superintendent on 25 February 1917, Hoople (who always had reservations about the need and power of the superintendents in the Church of the Nazarene) wrote to General Superintendent Hiram F. Reynolds in early 1917 that "the only basis under which he would continue to stay in the church was that he be released from all he had formerly agreed to 'in the line of Superintendency.' He would thereafter 'privately and publicly advocate away with all Superintendents." A few months later Hoople took a leave of absence from the John Wesley Church to participate actively in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. During Hoople's absence John Norberry served as pastor of the John Wesley Church.
YMCA (1917–1920)
After the entry of the USA into World War I on 6 April 1917, Hoople volunteered to minister to the troops of the American Expeditionary ForceAmerican Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
with the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. He was appointed a secretary of the National War Council of the Y.M.C.A. of the USA. On 18 May 1918 Hoople sailed for France. While in France, Hoople worked incessantly at the front line
Front line
A front line is the farthest-most forward position of an armed force's personnel and equipment - generally in respect of maritime or land forces. Forward Line of Own Troops , or Forward Edge of Battle Area are technical terms used by all branches of the armed services...
s as an entertainer, where he not only raised the spirits of the troops with "his melodious singing", but also led many soldiers to Christ. Hoople preached "in barns, buildings that had been shot to pieces, from the tail end of wagons, and auto trucks. His great voice led them many times in singing the old hymns that reminded them of home and sacred things. He won the hearts of thousands of those laddies, until he was commonly known among the regiment as 'Pop'." While on the front lines, Hoople was exposed to poisonous gas, and his health was subsequently damaged for the rest of his life. He was subsequently stationed in Italy and Germany, before returning to Brooklyn and his ministry at the John Wesley Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. However, by 1919 Hoople was the pastor of the Utica Avenue Pentecostal Tabernacle that he had founded in 1894, and Rev. A.E. Reid was listed as the pastor at John Wesley church.
After 15 September 1919 Hoople left New York again to serve with the International Committee of the YMCA in Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
; China; and Japan. Hoople again ministered to the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
s stationed in Siberia, and assisted in relief work among the civilian population. On his way to Siberia, Hoople visited Mukden to see his daughter, Ruth, who had been serving as a YWCA missionary to China since September 1917. After serving in Siberia, Hoople was able to visit Ruth who was now serving in Peking, China, where he was able to preach frequently. On 7 March 1920 Hoople arrived in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
on the Japanese ship Suwa Maru, having left Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan on 19 February 1920.
John Wesley Church of the Nazarene (1919-1922)
After his return to Brooklyn in 1920, Hoople resumed preaching at the now re-named John Wesley Church of the Nazarene. At this time Hoople and his wife Victoria, were living at 277 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, a three-story brownstoneBrownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
building in the Crown Heights
Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....
area built in 1905, with five of his children; his two spinster sisters-in-law, Henrietta and Louise; and a boarder. Rev. Susan Norris Fitkin (born in Quebec, Canada on March 31, 1869; died October 18, 1951 in Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
), the first general president of the Woman's Missionary Society for the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
(now Nazarene Missions International) (1915–1948), her husband, Rev. Abram Edward Fitkin
Abram Fitkin
Abram Edward Fitkin , was an American investment banker, public utilities operator, and philanthropist, who founded and ran dozens of companies, including A.E...
(born September 18, 1878 in Brooklyn, New York; died March 18, 1933 in New York city), and three of their children, were living nearby at 271 Brooklyn Avenue at this time.
Business interests
On 29 May 1889 Hoople applied for a US Patent for "a new and Improved Leather-Stripping Machine" that he had invented. Patent 412,503 was granted on 8 October 1889. On 17 January 1899 Edgar J. Force (born March 1847 in Canada) assigned to Hoople one-fourth of the patent for his invention of "new and useful Improvements in Curtain or PortièrePortiere
A portière is a hanging placed over a door or over the doorless entrance to a room. Its name is derived from the French word for door, porte . From Asia it came to Europe at a remote date. It is known to have been in use in Europe in the 4th century , and was probably introduced much earlier...
Pole Rings and Fastenings". By 1902 Hoople was a director of Raimes & Company (established 1892). By 1909 he was also the president (having replaced his father who had been vice-president when he died in 1908), a New York-based company that manufactured druggist's supplies, such as "soft gelatine capsules, potassium ioxide
Potassium oxide
Potassium oxide is an ionic compound of potassium and oxygen. This pale yellow solid, the simplest oxide of potassium, is a rarely encountered, highly reactive compound...
, and galenicals
Galenic formulation
Galenic formulation deals with the principles of preparing and compounding medicines in order to optimize their absorption. Galenic formulation is named after Claudius Galen, a 2nd Century AD Greek physician, who codified the preparation of drugs using multiple ingredients...
".
In April 1908 Hoople was a part of a consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
that founded the Circle Publishing Company with its headquarters in the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
building at 15 West 26th Street and 50 Madison Avenue in New York city, and purchased The Circle magazine (founded 1906) from the Funk & Wagnalls Company, with Hoople becoming the founding vice president and treasurer, and Eugene Thwing (born in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
on January 17, 1866; died in Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Ridgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was...
on May 29, 1936), editor of The Circle since its inception, becoming president. However by 1910 the magazine failed, and was eventually sold in 1911 to the Thwing Company founded by Eugene Thwing. By 1909 Hoople was a director of the New York branch of the Cerebos
Cerebos
Cerebos is an English brand of salt and, more recently, other flavourings and nutritional supplements. Its promise was "See How It Runs", describing how fine the salt was...
Salt Company (founded in 1894), which had its registered office at 50 Ferry Street, New York, and appeared on the US market about 1904. By 1916 Hoople was the president of the Interstate Electric Corporation. By 1911 Hoople was listed as a director of the Spider Manufacturing Company, which made components for bicycles and automobiles, and was headquartered in his property at 50 Ferry Street, New York City. In 1916 Hoople was the founding president and one of the leading businessmen in a consortium that helped capitalize the American Motors Corp. founded by Louis Chevrolet
Louis Chevrolet
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American race car driver of French descent, co-founder of the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911 and later, the Frontenac Motor Corporation in 1916 which made racing parts for Ford's Model T.-Early life:Born in 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a center of...
in Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population increased to a record high of 49,808....
. Hoople was president of American Motors until his death in 1922. On January 25, 1917 the Hoople Corporation, which sold "metal polish, drugs, medicines, chemicals, baking powder
Baking powder
Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods such as muffins, cakes, scones and American-style biscuits. Baking powder works by releasing carbon dioxide gas into a batter or dough through an acid-base reaction, causing bubbles in...
, soaps, [and] groceries" was incorporated in New York state with $30,000 capital.
After the entry of the United States into World War I in April 1917, Raimes & Company, the American agents of Franz Schulz, Jr. Co., a German company incorporated in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(in which Hoople then held 2% of the shares) that manufactured metal polish, attempted to seize the Schulz factory in order to preserve it and to allow its business to continue during the war. The owners of Franz Schulz., Jr. Co. subsequently sued Raimes & Company, for breach of contract and outstanding debts due to the Trading with the Enemy Act and the Alien Enemy Act. On May 2, 1917, just prior to his embarkation for France, Hoople transferred his property at 250 Front Street in Manhattan, that had previously belonged to his father, to his two surviving sisters, Bessie M. H. Nichols and Mary E. H. Staebler. In 1921 Hoople was the president of the Commonwealth Light & Power Co., with Abram Fitkin
Abram Fitkin
Abram Edward Fitkin , was an American investment banker, public utilities operator, and philanthropist, who founded and ran dozens of companies, including A.E...
one of the directors.
Death
After a seven-week illness, Hoople died at age 54 on Friday, September 29, 1922 in his home at 277 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, of war-related injuries. Hoople's last words were reported to be: "Jesus is my best friend." After a funeral at 2pm on Sunday, October 1 at the John Wesley Church of the Nazarene in Brooklyn, Hoople was buried at the Sleepy Hollow CemeterySleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York is the resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent Old Dutch Burying Ground. Incorporated in 1849 as Tarrytown Cemetery, it posthumously honored Irving's...
in Westchester County, New York.
Legacy
By November 1930 a Nazarene congregation, which met in the Reformed Church of America's former Church of Jesus church building (which was originally built in 1891) at 64 Menahan Street (at the corner of Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn), had been named the Hoople Church of the Nazarene.Further reading
- Cunningham, Floyd T., ed. Our Watchword & Song: The Centennial History of the Church of the Nazarene. Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 2009. ISBN 978-0-8341-24444-8
- Helping Men to Help Themselves. Industrial Christian Alliance, 1903.
- Hoople, Elizabeth L. The Hooples of Hoople's Creek. Ryerson Press, 1967.
- Industrial Christian Alliance 1891: A History 1891-1898. New York (N.Y.): Industrial Christian Alliance, 1898.
- Kostlevy, William and Gari-Anne Patzwald, eds. "Hoople, William Howard", p. 132. In Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement. Scarecrow Press, 2001.
- Hamersly, Lewis Randolph. Who's Who in New York (City and State). Issue 7. Lewis Historical Publ. Co., 1918. Issue 8, 1924.
- Miller, Basil. Twelve Early Nazarene Leaders. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 1941. http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/0201-0300/HDM0221.PDF
- Smith, Timothy L. Called Unto Holiness: The Story of the Nazarenes: The Formative Years. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 1962. http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyctr/books/2501-2600/HDM2593.PDF
- Taft, William Howard and Frederick Morgan Harris, eds. Service with Fighting Men: An Account of the Work of the American Young Men's Christian Associations in the World War. 2 vols. New York: Association Press, 1922. http://www.archive.org/stream/servicewithfigh00harrgoog
- Wilson, Rufus Rockwell. New York: Old & New: Its Story, Streets, and Landmarks. 2 Vols. 3rd ed. New York: J.B. Lippincott company, 1902.
External links
- Rise of the Church of the Nazarene
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online, 1841-1902 (from the Brooklyn Public Library)
- Historic Maps of Brooklyn hosted by the David Rumsey Historical Map CollectionDavid Rumsey Historical Map CollectionThe David Rumsey Historical Map Collection is one of the world's largest private map collections. It has some 150,000 maps and cartographic items...