Hunter Corbett

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

(; December 8, 1835 – January 7, 1920) was a pioneer American missionary to Chefoo (Zhifu芝罘区, in

Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao on the ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, he served with the

American Presbyterian Mission Presbyterian Mission Agency is the ministry and mission agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Founded as the Western Foreign Missionary Society by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1837, it was involved in sending ...

. He was a fervent advocate of the missionary enterprise. He founded the Yi Wen School at Tengchow (also known as Boy's Academy / Hunter Corbett Academy Tengchow) afterward converted into an institution of higher education as

Cheeloo University Cheeloo University (, alternatively known as ''Shantung Christian College'') was a university in China, established by Hunter Corbett American Presbyterian, and other English Baptist, Anglican, and Canadian Presbyterian mission agencies in earl ...

in 1928. It was the first university in China.

Early life

Hunter Corbett was born to Ross Mitchell Corbett and Fannie Culbertson (Orr) Corbett on December 8, 1835 in

Clarion County, Pennsylvania Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Coun ...

, USA. He graduated from Jefferson College in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town lies in a rich coal di ...

(now

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...

) in 1860. and from

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of t ...

. With his first wife, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Culbertson, he sailed for China in 1863.

China Mission

After a six-month voyage around the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

and shipwreck off the China coast, they finally arrived at Chefoo (

) in the middle of winter, 1863. After several years in

Dengzhou Dengzhou (), formerly Deng County (), is a city in Nanyang, Henan, China. It has an area of and a population of 1,500,000. The urban area is 35 km², and the urban population is 300,000. The city is located in the southwest of Henan provi ...

(P'eng-lai, or Tengchow), they established a permanent residence at Chefoo and began evangelistic work. Along with colleagues

Calvin Wilson Mateer Calvin Wilson Mateer (, sometimes misspelt "Matteer") (9 January 1836 – 28 September 1908) was a missionary to China with the American Presbyterian Mission. He was of Scottish-Irish descent and a native of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.D ...

and

John Nevius John A. Nevius (July 15, 1920 – April 23, 1993) was a member and chair of Washington, DC's pre-Home Rule city council. Nevius was first appointed to the council by President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969. In 1972, President Richard Nixon ap ...

, Corbett developed the methodology that would plant the gospel in the soil of northern China and make Shandong the strongest Presbyterian mission in China. Wide itineration throughout the countryside, rather than concentrated efforts in the cities, was the main feature of the Shandong plan. Corbett was described as an "Indefatigable Itinerator," and he traveled over the whole province by horse, mule cart, and foot. Added to his travel difficulties were incidents in which he was reviled and stoned. In 1886

Washington and Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

awarded him an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree. Corbett believed in using unconventional methods. He rented a theater and converted the back rooms into a museum stocked with objects of interest from around the world. After a service, the museum doors would be opened. In 1900, about 72,000 people listened to his preaching and visited the museum. A crowning achievement was the organization and development of Shandong Presbytery. By the year of Corbett's death, there were 343 organized churches and chapels throughout the province, with more than 15,000 communicant members. In 1906 he was elected

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

, the central governing body of the

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was the first national Presbyterian denomination in the United States, existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year, the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North Americ ...

or reformed church. Hunter Corbett ministered in China for 56 years. He died in Chefoo (now

on 7 January 1920.

Legacy

His 3rd wife and widow, Harriet Robina (Sutherland) Corbett, died in 1936. In 1907 his daughter, Grace Corbett married Ralph C. Wells (1877–1955). In 1908 his daughter, Jane Lea Corbett married John Lawrence Goheen.

Books

Author: Hunter Corbett * Twenty-five years of missionary work in the province of Shantung, China : Author: Hunter Corbett,OCLC Number: 21833096
A Record of American Presbyterian Mission Work in Shantung Province, China, 1861-1913
: Author: Hunter Corbett Book-, * 聖會史記 : 卷/ Sheng hui shi ji : juan: Book -Chinese, Author- 郭顯徳撰. ; Hunter Corbett Others * Hunter Corbett: fifty-six years missionary in China: Author-James R.E.Craighead, Publisher- Revell Press, 1921 * A tribute, Hunter Corbett, 1835-1920 : Publisher: Chefoo : McMullan & Co (1920?), OCLC Number: 16876989 * Hunter Corbett and his family : 'Biography' Author: Harold Frederick Smith, Charles Hodge Corbett. Description:185, 4p.:ill., geneal. tables, ports. ; 24 cm. * Goheen family papers, 1864-1951. * Sketch of Dr. Corbett's life : Promotional material for Hunter Corbett Academy building program, issued in conjunction with Dr. Corbett's 80th birthday. Cover title: Hunter Corbett : his 80th birthday: a plan for celebration, a history, an opportunity, an appeal.

References

External links

Corbett Homestead
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Hunter Princeton Theological Seminary Washington & Jefferson College alumni American Presbyterian missionaries Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers Presbyterian missionaries in China 1835 births 1920 deaths People from Clarion County, Pennsylvania American expatriates in China