John Henry Hopkins Jr. (October 28, 1820 – August 14, 1891) was an American clergyman and

hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditionally ...

, most famous for composing the song " We Three Kings of Orient Are" in 1857 (even though it does not appear in print until his ''Carols, Hymns, and Songs'' in 1863).

Life

Hopkins was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, the son of John Henry Hopkins, an Episcopal

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. Hopkins graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

with an A.B. in 1839, and then a

Master's Degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in 1845.Biography
at the Cyber Hymnal After a stint as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, he graduated from the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

in 1850, and became a deacon, author, illustrator, and designer. He was the seminary's first music teacher from 1855 to 1857, composed several hymns, and edited the ''Church Journal''. He wrote words and music to his most famous hymn, " We Three Kings", as part of a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

pageant for his nieces and nephews. It is suggested to have been written in 1857 but did not appear in print until his ''Carols, Hymns, and Songs'' in 1863. His nephew, John Henry Hopkins III, is credited with the music for "

I Sing a Song of the Saints of God "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" is a Christianity, Christian hymn written in Britain by Lesbia Scott and first published in 1929. The hymn is little-known in Britain, not featuring in the Anglican ''New English hymnal, New English Hymnal'', b ...

", a popular children's hymn in the Episcopal Church. Hopkins had many close friends who aided him in his musical compositions and his best friend includes the notorious Patrick, who was known for torturing his students. They were of great influence on his music and they heavily influenced his life choices too. Hopkins served as rector of Trinity Church in

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The population of the sur ...

from 1872 to 1876 and of Christ Episcopal Church in

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 27,754. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

from 1876 to 1887. He delivered the eulogy at the funeral of President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

in 1885, and died in

Hudson, New York Hudson is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, f ...

. He was buried next to his father at Bishop's House, Rock Point,

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

. Hopkins' nephew, Charles Filkins Sweet, wrote a biography of his uncle entitled ''A Champion of the Cross, Being the Life of John Henry Hopkins, S.T.D''.

References

External links

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Grave
from Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, John Henry Jr. 1820 births 1891 deaths 19th-century American Episcopalians American Episcopal priests American Christian hymnwriters Religious leaders from Pittsburgh University of Vermont alumni General Theological Seminary alumni Editors of Christian publications Writers from Pittsburgh Journalists from Pittsburgh Musicians from Pittsburgh 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American musicians 19th-century American male writers Songwriters from Pennsylvania 19th-century American clergy