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William Ellery Channing
b. Newport, RI, April 7, 1780
d. Bennington, VT, October 2,
1842
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Author, philanthropist, philosopher, theologian, opponent of slavery, considered
one of the leading ministers of his day in Boston. Called the "Conscience
of Boston" due to his stands on moral issues.
Son of William Channing, lawyer and Attorney General of Rhode Island and
Lucy Ellery, daughter of William Ellery [q.v.], a signer of the Declaration
of Independence.
Brother of Edward Tyrrell Channing of the North American Review
and Walter Channing, the first professor of Obstetrics and Medical Jurisprudence
at Harvard.
Married his first cousin Ruth Gibbs in 1814, their son is inventor William
Francis Channing.
Dedicated in his honor, Channing Memorial Church stands on Pelham Street
in Newport. The cornerstone is laid on the 100th anniversary of his
birth; consecrated in October of 1881.
Adjacent to the Old Stone Mill in Touro Park, Newport, stands a statue
of Channing which faces the church.
His birthplace and family home still stand at 24 School Street on the southeast
corner of Mary Street. The former Children's Home is now occupied by Child
and Family Services of Newport County.
The family country estate was known as "Oakland Farm". A frequent visitor,
Channing uses this estate as a summer retreat - a place to relax, heal,
write and enjoy the natural surroundings. The latter days of his life were
spent here.
Oakland Farm was located on the southwest side of East Main Road and Union
Street, Portsmouth, RI. The main house no longer exists; the property has
been subdivided into condominium homes.
Harvard class 1798; first pastoralship in Boston (1803); his most famous
sermon
"Unitarian Christianity" delivered in Baltimore (1819). This leads
to recognition as a founder of Unitarianism. He forms a conference of liberal
ministers (1820), out of which grew the American Unitarian Association,
established 1825.
Influential in American literature. The term "Channing Unitarians" was
applied to a group of New England writers, which included Emerson, Longfellow
and Thoreau. |
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