author
Henry Churchill King
1858–1934
A longtime Oberlin College president and influential Congregational theologian, he wrote about religion, ethics, and the moral life in a clear, thoughtful voice. His work also reached beyond campus life when he helped lead the 1919 King-Crane Commission in the Middle East.
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About the author
Born in Hillsdale, Michigan, in 1858, Henry Churchill King became one of Oberlin College's defining figures. After graduating from Oberlin and studying further in theology, he joined the faculty in 1884 and taught mathematics, philosophy, and theology before becoming the college's president in 1902.
King led Oberlin for 25 years, the longest presidential tenure in the college's history, serving until 1927. He was known not only as an educator and preacher but also as a prolific author whose books explored Christian faith, ethics, and personal religious experience in ways that aimed to connect belief with everyday life.
His public work extended beyond academia. In 1919 he co-led the King-Crane Commission, an American fact-finding mission that traveled through the former Ottoman territories after World War I to gather local views on the region's political future. He died in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1934, leaving behind a legacy in both higher education and American religious thought.