Eleanor Elizabeth Gordon (October 10, 1852 – January 6, 1942) was an American

Unitarian Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present ...

minister. Part of an informal network of Unitarian women ministers known as the " Iowa Sisterhood", she was often partnered in her work with

Mary Safford Mary Augusta Safford (December 23, 1851 – October 25, 1927) was an American Unitarian minister. An influential figure in the development of the Unitarian Universalist church in the Midwestern United States, she was a member of the informally-d ...

. Gordon was born in Hamilton,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

, and was the oldest of six children of Samuel and Parmelia (Alvord) Gordon. She grew up in a family where religious debate was common and where the work of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

and

Theodore Parker Theodore Parker (August 24, 1810 – May 10, 1860) was an American transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church. A reformer and abolitionist, his words and popular quotations would later inspire speeches by Abraham Lincoln ...

was greatly admired. Mary Safford lived on a neighboring farm, and the two were close friends from youth. From 1873 to 1874 she attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

. She was then invited by Safford to assist with the Unitarian congregations in

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and

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. She proceeded to study at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

for one semester prior to ordination, which occurred in 1889. An advocate for women's educational opportunities, she served four other congregations. Among those whose studies she supported was Mary Collson. Gordon and Safford published ''Old and New'', a magazine, between 1891 and 1908. From 1907 until 1910 she served as field secretary of the Unitarian Conference of Iowa, and for ten years facilitated its communications. From 1906 to 1910 she was a resident of the

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Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

. She organized a Unitarian congregation in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

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, in 1912. Gordon retired from active ministry in 1918. She died in

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

, and is buried in the town of her birth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Eleanor 1852 births 1942 deaths American Unitarians American Unitarian clergy Women Christian clergy People from Hamilton, Illinois Religious leaders from Illinois University of Iowa alumni Cornell University alumni Religious leaders from Iowa Suffragists from Iowa

See also

References