Octavius Brooks Frothingham (November 26, 1822 – November 27, 1895) was an American clergyman and author.

Biography

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham (1793–1870), a prominent

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 ...

preacher, and through his mother's family he was related to

Phillips Brooks Phillips Brooks (December 13, 1835January 23, 1893) was an American Episcopal clergyman and author, long the Rector of Boston's Trinity Church and briefly Bishop of Massachusetts. He wrote the lyrics of the Christmas hymn, " O Little Town of ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

in 1843 and from the Divinity School in 1846. On March 23, 1847, he married Caroline Martha Curtis (February 5, 1825 - June 8, 1900).

Pastorates

He was pastor of the North Unitarian church of

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

, from 1847 to 1855. He broke with this congregation over the issue of slavery.George Harvey Genzmer, "Frothingham, Octavius Brooks," ''

Dictionary of American Biography The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). History The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by h ...

'', New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1961. From 1855 to 1860, he was pastor of a new Unitarian society in

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark, New Jersey, Newark.

. There he gave up the

Lord's Supper The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

, thinking that it ministered to self-satisfaction. It was as a radical Unitarian that he became pastor of another young church in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1860. The name of the church was initially the Third Unitarian Congregational Church. From the beginning, Frothingham belonged to the most radical wing of the Unitarians. Indeed, in 1864 he was recognized as leader of the radicals after his reply to Dr Hedge's address to the graduating students of the Divinity School on "Anti-

Supernaturalism Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

in the Pulpit." In 1865, when he had practically given up

transcendentalism Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in New England. "Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century, centered around Ralph Wald ...

, his church building was sold and his congregation began to worship in Lyric Hall under the name of the Independent Liberal Church, their connection with the Unitarian denomination being thereby sundered. In 1875, they moved to the

Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

, but four years later ill-health compelled Frothingham's resignation, and the church dissolved. Paralysis threatened him, and he never fully recovered his health. In 1881, he returned to Boston, and devoted himself to literary work until his death there.

Later life

To the later period of his life belongs his best literary work. While he was in New York, he was for a time art critic of the ''

Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

''. Always himself on the unpopular side and an able but thoroughly fair critic of the majority, he habitually underestimated his own worth; he was not only an anti-slavery leader when abolition was not popular even in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

, and a radical and rationalist when it was impossible for him to stay conveniently in the Unitarian Church, but he was the first president of the

Free Religious Association The Free Religious Association (FRA) was an American freethought organization that opposed organized religion and aimed to form in its place a universal rational religion free of dogma or theology, based on evolutionary science.Parsons, Gerald. ( ...

(1867) and an early and ardent disciple of

Darwin Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

and Spencer. Though always faithful to his radical views, in later years, his judgement grew more generous and catholic. He was a greater orator than a writer, and his sermons in New York were delivered to large audiences, averaging one thousand at the Masonic Temple, and were printed each week; in eloquence and in the charm of his spoken word he was probably surpassed in his day by none save George William Curtis. Personally he seemed cold and distant, partly because of his impressive appearance, and partly because of his own modesty, which made him backward in seeking friendships. He died at his home in Boston on November 27, 1895. He was cremated, and his ashes were buried at

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmi ...

Published works

*''Stories from the Life of the Teacher'' (1863) *a translation of

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, expert of Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote infl ...

's ''Studies of Religious History and Criticism ''(1864) *''A Child's Book of Religion'' (1866), and other works of religious teaching for children *several volumes of sermons *''Beliefs of Unbelievers'' (1876) *''The Cradle of the Christ: a Study in Primitive Christianity'' (1877) *''The Spirit of New Faith'' (1877) *''The Rising and the Setting Faith'' (1878), and other expositions of the new faith he preached *''Life of

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 ...

'' (1874) *''Transcendentalism in New England'' (1876), which is largely biographical *''

Gerrit Smith Gerrit Smith (March 6, 1797 – December 28, 1874), also spelled Gerritt Smith, was a leading American social reformer, abolitionist, businessman, public intellectual, and philanthropist. Married to Ann Carroll Fitzhugh, Smith was a candida ...

, a Biography'' (1878) *
George Ripley
' (1882), in the ''American Men of Letters'' series, a biography of George Ripley *''Memoir of

William Henry Channing William Henry Channing (May 25, 1810 – December 23, 1884) was an American Unitarian clergyman, writer and philosopher. Biography William Henry Channing was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Channing's father, Francis Dana Channing, died when he wa ...

'' (1886) *a life of David Atwood Wasson (1889) *''Boston Unitarianism: Study of the life and work of Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham, 1820-1850'' (1890), really a biography of his fathe

*

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frothingham, Octavius Brooks 1822 births 1895 deaths Harvard Divinity School alumni 19th-century Unitarian clergy American religious writers American biographers American male biographers American abolitionists Harvard College alumni Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery