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Byron Sunderland (November 22, 1819 – June 30, 1901) was an American Presbyterian minister, author, and
Chaplain of the United States Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...
during the
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.


Biography

Sunderland was born on November 22, 1819, to Asa and Olive (Wolcott) Sunderland in the town of
Shoreham, Vermont Shoreham is a New England town, town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,260 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Geography Shoreham is located in western Addison County along the shore of Lake Champlain. T ...
. Both of his grandfathers served in the
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. After spending his childhood in Shoreham, he attended
Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...
a few miles away and graduated from there in 1838, later receiving a D.D. in 1855 from the same school. He taught for some time before attending the
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...
. In 1843, Sunderland became pastor of the Presbyterian Church at
Batavia, New York Batavia is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, New York, United States. It is located near the center of the county, surrounded by the Town of Batavia, which is a separate municipality. Batavia's population, as of the 2020 census, ...
. By 1851 he had become pastor-elect of the Park Presbyterian Church in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...
before being called to the First Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. In 1853, Sunderland began a distinguished 45-year tenure as senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Washington. In 1857, he began to preach in favor of the abolition of slavery, a courageous act in a city that was essentially a conservative Southern town. A further courageous act was allowing
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...
to speak from the pulpit in 1866. Sunderland was appointed to the office of Chaplain of the Senate in 1861, serving for three years. He resigned in 1864 to accept the post of Pastor of the American Chapel in
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,
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. He served in that position from September 1864 until October 1865, when he returned to Washington to resume his duties as Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. Following his return to Washington, he also served several terms as chaplain of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. He served as the president of
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
from 1867 to 1869, and on the first board of directors of Gallaudet College in Washington. He retired from his pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church in Washington in 1898, becoming pastor ''emeritus'' for life. When
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
was elected president, he began attending Sunderland's church. On June 2, 1886, in the Blue Room of the
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Sunderland performed the marriage service for the
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of President
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
and Frances Cornelia Folsom, the daughter of Cleveland's former law partner. It was the only time that a president has been married in the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
. Sunderland served on the executive committee of the
American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the repatriation of freeborn peop ...
. Sunderland died of a cerebral embolism at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, Rosalie and Orrin Day, in
Catskill, New York Catskill is a town in the southeastern section of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,298 at the 2020 census, the largest town in the county. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park. The town contains a v ...
on June 30, 1901, his wife, Mary Elizabeth Tomlinson Sunderland, having predeceased him in 1896. He left his estate to the only one of his three children to survive him, Rosalie Day, with instructions to "transmit some suitable token to all relatives and friends."


Works


Prelacy Discussed: Or, A Book for Batavians
1848
Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States, developed in the official and historical annals of the Republic
Introduction written by Byron Sunderland, 1864
A Sketch of the Life of Dr. William Gunton
1878
A Discourse by Rev. Dr. Byron Sunderland: On the Shooting of President Garfield at the Depot in Washington, Saturday Morning, July 2d, 1881, by Charles J. Guiteau : Delivered at the First Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C., Sabbath Morning, July 3d, 1881
written with Charles J. GuiteauA discourse by Rev. Dr. Byron Sunderland
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Notes

*
New York Times storyPart of will from Washington Post via New York Times


References


External links


Discourse to Young Ladies - Sermon - January 22, 1857The Sabbath Question - 1877Matthew Brady Photograph of Sunderland from National Archives
*Joseph Wilson Cochran, {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunderland, Byron 1819 births 1901 deaths Presidents of Howard University American Presbyterians Chaplains of the United States Senate Deaths from cerebral embolism 19th-century American clergy Gallaudet University trustees