Minot Judson Savage (June 10, 1841 – May 22, 1918) was an American Unitarian minister, psychical researcher and author.

Biography

Savage was born in

Norridgewock, Maine Norridgewock is a town in Somerset County, Maine, Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,278 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Native Americans Situated on the New England and Acadia border, which Ne ...

in 1841. He graduated from the Bangor Theological Seminary in 1864, and for nine years was in the Congregational ministry, being a home missionary at San Mateo and

Grass Valley, California Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 14,016. Situated at roughly in elevation in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this norther ...

, until 1867. He held pastorates at

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston ...

from 1867 to 1869, and at

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...

from 1869 to 1873. Savage then became a Unitarian, and was pastor of the Third Unitarian Church of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

from 1873 to 1874, of the Church of the Unity in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

from 1874 to 1896, and of the Church of the Messiah (now renamed the Community Church) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1896 to 1906. The Early Years of the Community Church of New York
He was an active advocate of

Darwinian ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sele ...

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

istic optimism and social reform, and also preached a spiritualistic faith in personal survival after death. His sermons were distributed in the pamphlets ''Unity Pulpit'' and ''Messiah Pulpit''.Minot Judson Savage: Harvard Divinity School Library
/ref> He was a director of the

American Unitarian Association The American Unitarian Association (AUA) was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it consolidated with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian ...

, and served on several councils and conferences. In 1896 he was granted an honorary

doctor of divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1896. His son, Philip Henry Savage, worked as a librarian at the Boston Public Library, and won praise for his own work as a poet.

Publications

*''Christianity, the Science of Manhood'' (1873) *''The Religion of Evolution'' (1876)
''The Morals of Evolution''
(1880)
''Beliefs About Man''
(1884) *''The Religious Life'' (1885) *''My Creed'' (1887) *''Religious Reconstruction'' (1888) *''The Evolution of Christianity'' (1892)
''Psychics: Facts and Theories''
(1893)
''Our Unitarian Gospel''
(1898) *''The Passing and the Permanent in Religion'' (1901)
Beyond Death''
(1901)
Telepathy Explain?''
(1902) *''America to England'' (1905) *''Life's Dark Problems'' (1905) *''Immortality'' (1906)

Notes

References

* * ''Heralds of a Liberal Faith'', ed. by Samuel A. Eliot. Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1952. Vol. 4, p. 206-210

External links

Papers
by Charles White McGehee relating to an essay on Minot Judson Savage are in the Harvard Divinity School Library at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

.
A scrapbook
on Minot Judson Savage is in the Harvard Divinity School Library at

. * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Minot Judson 1841 births 1918 deaths 19th-century Unitarian clergy Bangor Theological Seminary alumni American male non-fiction writers American male poets American non-fiction writers American spiritualists American parapsychologists People from Norridgewock, Maine Writers from Maine