Randolph Sinks Foster (February 22, 1820 – May 1, 1903) was an American

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 ...

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 ...

, elected in 1872.

Early life

Foster was born on February 22, 1820, at Williamsburg,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He was the son of Israel Foster and Mary "Polly" Kain. His father was the youngest son of Nancy ( Trigg) Foster an dThomas Foster, an English emigrant to Virginia. His mother was the only daughter of Daniel Kain and Mary ( Hutchinson) Kain. Foster attended Augusta College in Kentucky, but left to become a

Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

in the

Conference of the

when he was only seventeen.

Career

Foster was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the Traveling Ministry by Bishops Waugh and Hedding. He went on to become the pastor of the Mulberry Street M.E. 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 ...

, where he met

Daniel Drew Daniel Drew (July 29, 1797 – September 18, 1879) was an American businessman, steamship and railroad developer, and financier, one of the " robber barons" of the Gilded Age. Summarizing his life, Henry Clews wrote: "Of all the great oper ...

, the financier who provided the original funding for the Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. Prior to his election to the

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

, Foster served in pastoral appointments and in educational work. He was

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, 1857–1860. He also accepted John McClintock's invitation to become

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Systematic Theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

at Drew. After the death of Drew's first President in 1870, Foster was elected to that post, remaining there until becoming a bishop in 1872, when he was assigned to the

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

area.

Works

Foster wrote the boo
''Objections to Calvinism as it is: in a series of letters addressed to N.L. Rice''
in 1849. Also "Christian Purity or the Heritage of Faith" in 1872

Personal life

In 1840, Foster was married to Sarah Ann Miley (1821–1871). Together, they were the parents of: * Anna Florence Foster (1841–1868), who died unmarried. * John Miley Foster (1843–1893) * Randolph Israel Foster (1846–1881), who married Helms Pitman. * Tallmadge W. Foster (1849–1925), who married Minnie Pritchard. * Sarah Miley "Sallie" Foster (1854–1854) * Elizabeth Foster (1856–1937), who married William Austin Tucker, in 1876. * Eva Kilbreth Foster (1860–1940) He died at Newton Centre,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

on May 1, 1903. He was buried in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York.

Descendants

Through his daughter Elizabeth, he was a grandfather of Ethel ( Tucker) Bethune, Countess of Lindsay, who married Archibald Bethune, 13th Earl of Lindsay (parents of William Lindesay-Bethune, 14th Earl of Lindsay).

References

*''Methodism: Ohio Area (1812–1962)'', edited by John M. Ver Steeg, Litt.D., D.D. (Ohio Area Sesquicentennial Committee, 1962).

External links

*
Timeline 1850-1899, History, About, Northwestern University
at www.northwestern.edu
Biographical Notes: Presidents and Key Figures -- University Library -- Drew University
at depts.drew.edu {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Randolph Sinks 1820 births 1903 deaths American Methodist Episcopal bishops American religion academics American theologians Arminian ministers Arminian theologians Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church Presidents of Northwestern University Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery People from Clermont County, Ohio 19th-century Methodist bishops Religious leaders from Cincinnati Drew University faculty Presidents of Drew University 19th-century American Christian clergy Systematic theologians