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Matthew Wesley Clair (October 21, 1865 – June 28, 1943) was an American minister, and newspaper editor. He was one of the first
Clair was born on October 21, 1865, in
Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Persons of African Descent in America
', Who's Who in Colored America, Brooklyn, New York, 1930-1931-1932 (Third Edition)
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
bishops in the Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
.
Biography
Clair was born on October 21, 1865, in Union, West Virginia
Union is a town in Monroe County, West Virginia, United States. Union’s population is 427 as of 2020. It is the county seat of Monroe County.
History
Monroe County was established by an act of the Assembly of Virginia on January 14, 1799, occ ...
. He was a son of Anthony and Ollie (née Green) Clair, both were former slaves
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
. In 1880, Clair joined the Methodist Church.
He attended Morgan College (now Morgan State University) in Baltimore. In 1884, he won the G. V. Leech Prize for theology, and in 1887, he won the Baldwin Prize for English oratory.
Clair and Robert E. Jones were appointed bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...
in 1920, becoming the first black people to receive that title. Clair was assigned to Monrovia, Liberia
Monrovia () is the administrative capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liberia’s total population. It ...
. Prior to his appointment, he served as District Superintendent for the Church in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
In 1926, Clair was transferred to Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...
. His territory included all of Kentucky and Tennessee. He would serve there until his retirement in 1936.
In March 1890, he edited the newspaper the '' Methodist Banner''. He was assisted by his wife Fannie in the newspaper editing role.
Clair and wife, Fannie Meade Walker, were the parents of five children: including Matthew W. Clair Jr., William O. Clair, and John A. Clair. After Fannie's death in 1925, he married Eva F. Wilson a year later.
Death
In June 1943, Clair travelled to Washington, D.C., to preside over the funeral of his brother. It was there that he died on June 28, 1943.See also
*List of bishops of the United Methodist Church
This is a list of bishops of the United Methodist Church and its predecessor denominations, in order of their election to the episcopacy, both living and dead.
1784–1807
;Founders
* Thomas Coke 1784
* Francis Asbury 1784
* Richard Whatcoat ...
* ''The Afro-American Press and Its Editors
''Afro-American Press and Its Editors'' is a book published in 1891 written by Irvine Garland Penn. Penn covers African-American newspapers and magazines published between 1827 and 1891. The book covers many aspects of journalism, and devotes a ...
''
References
* Yenser, Thomas (editor),Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Persons of African Descent in America
', Who's Who in Colored America, Brooklyn, New York, 1930-1931-1932 (Third Edition)
External links
* 1865 births 1943 deaths Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church American Methodist bishops People from Union, West Virginia History of Methodism in the United States African-American Methodist clergy 20th-century Methodist bishops People from Monrovia Methodists from West Virginia People from Covington, Kentucky {{US-bishop-stub