Rufus Wheelwright Clark (December 17, 1813 – August 9, 1886) was an American pastor and author.

Biography

Clark, son of Thomas M. and Rebecca (Wheelwright) Clark, was born in Newburyport, Mass., December 17, 1813. At an early age he went to New York City as a clerk in a mercantile house, and while thus engaged became convinced of his duty to prepare for the ministry. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1838. He spent the year after graduation in the

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambrid ...

, and the succeeding year in the

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

. He was ordained and installed as pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Washington, D. C, January 7, 1842. He resigned that charge in the following November, to accept a call to the North (Congregational) Church in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, N. H., over which he was installed on the 16th of that month. He spent nine years in Portsmouth, leaving there in November, 1851 to remove to

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which was annexed by the city of Boston in 1836. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Massachusetts, Winthrop, Revere, Mas ...

, Mass., where he was settled over the Maverick (Congregational) Church, on December 3 of that year. After a pastorate of five years and four months, he went to

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 ...

, N.Y., where he was installed over the South Congregational Church, from April 14, 1857, to November 17, 1862. From December 10, 1862, until his resignation twenty years later, he held the pastorate of the First Reformed Church in Albany, N.Y. As a pastor he was widely known through his question books for

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

s and other numerous contributions to religious literature. The most important of his published works, aside from those of a distinctly religious character, was his ''Heroes of Albany'' (1866, Octavo, 8vo, pp. 870), written in commemoration of the sacrifices of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The degree of

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 ...

was conferred on him by the University of the City of New York in 1862. After resigning his charge at Albany, in 1882, he made his home, in feeble health, with one of his sons, on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

, N.Y. He went to

Nantucket Nantucket () is an island in the state of Massachusetts in the United States, about south of the Cape Cod peninsula. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck Island, Tuckernuck and Muskeget Island, Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and Co ...

, Mass., for the summer of 1886, and died there, August 9, in his 73rd year. He married, June 14, 1843, Eliza, daughter of the Rev. William C. Walton, of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, Va., and

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, Conn.; she died May 21, 1877, leaving five sons and one daughter. Four of the sons were clergymen. His mother's family was related to the Puritan clergyman

John Wheelwright John Wheelwright (c. 1592–1679) was a Puritan clergyman in England and America, noted for being banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Antinomian Controversy, and for subsequently establishing the town of Exeter, New Hamps ...

. His brother Thomas M. Clark was also a minister and was Bishop of Rhode Island; another brother, Rev Dr Samuel Adam Clark, was also a minister.

References

External links

* * *
Books by Clark
{{DEFAULTSORT:clark, rufus wheelwright 1813 births 1886 deaths People from Newburyport, Massachusetts Yale Divinity School alumni Andover Newton Theological School alumni American Congregationalist ministers American religious writers American male non-fiction writers Yale College alumni 19th-century American clergy