Henry Otis Dwight,

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

(June 3, 1843 – June 19, 1917), was an American

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

and author.

Biography

Henry Dwight was born in Constantinople, Turkey, the only son of Harrison Gray Otis Dwight. He entered

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

but left college in 1861 to enlist in the 20th Ohio Regiment and serve in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Military

In the spring of 1863, Dwight was part of

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invasion of

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at Bruinsburg on the

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. The invasion preceded the Battle of Port Gibson, and Union troops had taken control of Windsor mansion, where Dwight sketched the only known drawing of the antebellum home. During the war, Dwight participated in more than thirty engagements, including the

siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

(1863), the Atlanta Campaign (1864), and the Savannah Campaign (1864). Shortly before the war ended, Dwight was commissioned a captain and left the military in 1865.

Missionary

In 1867, Dwight returned to Istanbul as a missionary for the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian mission, Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the l ...

, where he edited publications of the Turkish language. For 15 years, in the late 1800s, he was the

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

in Constantinople for the

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. During the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896, Dwight had responsibility for guarding missionary interests in Turkey. He was ordained a minister in 1880, and returned to the

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in 1901, after resigning his commission as a missionary. In 1897, Dwight was conferred the honorary degree of LL.D. by

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

. He edited the ''Report of the Ecumenical Conference on Foreign Missions'' (1900) and the ''Encyclopedia of Missions'' (1904). He was the author of several books: * ''Turkish Life in War Time'' (1881) * ''Treaty Rights of American Missionaries in Turkey'' (1893) * ''Constantinople and its Problems'' (1901) * ''Blue Book of Missions'' (1905; second edition, 1907) * ''A Moslem Sir Galahad'' (1913; second edition, 1914)

Personal life

Henry Dwight was married three times: Mary Bliss (m. 1867–d. 1872) to, Ardelle Griswold (m. 1874–d. 1884), and Isabella Bliss (m. 1887–d. 1894). He was the father of one son and five daughters. Dwight died June 19, 1917, at his home in Roselle, New Jersey.

References

External links