Washington Manly Wingate (1828-1879) served as the fourth president of
Wake Forest College
Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private university, private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Wake ...
, from 1853 to 1862, and then after the Civil War from 1866 until his death in 1879. He is also the namesake for
Wingate University
Wingate University is a private liberal arts university with campuses in Wingate and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It identifies as a university with "Judeo-Christian heritage."
The university enrolls more than 3,450 students. It offers 37 ...
, located in Wingate, North Carolina.
Early life
W. M. Wingate was born July 28, 1828, in
Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina metropolitan area.
Darlington is known f ...
, to William and Isabella Blackwell Wingate. Wingate graduated from
Wake Forest College
Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private university, private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Wake ...
in 1849, then studied at the Furman Theological Institute, now
Furman University
Furman University is a private university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1826 and named after Baptist pastor Richard Furman, the Liberal arts college, liberal arts university is the oldest private institution of higher l ...
, for two additional years. He married Mary E. Webb in December 1850. Together, the pair had seven children: Alice, Lizzie, Walter Blackwell, William Jonathan, Belle, Sally, and Ruth. Wingate became and ordained Baptist minister on March 3, 1852.
Career
Wingate was hired as a professor of moral and intellectual philosophy and rhetoric and president pro tempore in June 1853. Under his leadership, Wingate strengthened Baptist influence in the institution, both through preaching and community ties. In return, Wake Forest College received large donations from Baptist organizations, helping sustain the college through the Civil War, and helped it grow thereafter. When Wake Forest closed during the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, from May 1862 to January 1866, Wingate preached for soldiers, edited for the Baptist State Convention newspaper, ''
Biblical Recorder
''The Biblical Recorder'' is a news organization owned by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC).
Early history
The newspaper was founded in 1833 by Thomas Meredith, a prominent Southern Baptist leader in North Carolina.
Apart f ...
'', and published a tract called ''I Have Brought My Little Brother Back''.
In June 1852, Wake Forest College submitted a report stating "is the expedient and proper as well as necessary for the success of this Institution, that the sum of Fifty Thousand Dollars be raised as speedily as possible for the endowment of Wake Forest College". Through canvasing, preaching and articles in the ''Biblical Recorder'', Wingate was able to raise the endowment in five years.
Death and legacy
He died from heart complications on February 27, 1879.
During his lifetime, Wingate received honorary
D.D.
A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (i.e., Christian theology and ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere. In the United Kin ...
diplomas from Columbian College (currently known as
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
) and
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
in 1865 and 1871, respectively. After the Wake Forest campus moved from
Wake Forest, North Carolina
Wake Forest is a town in Wake and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601, up from 30,117 in ...
, to
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...
in 1953, the Department for the Study of Religions, Chapel and Baptist offices were relocated in a building named in Wingate's honor. In 2021, Wake Forest University proposed renaming Wingate Hall to "May 7, 1860 Hall," the date the institution sold at auction 16 human beings that a slave-owning benefactor bequeathed to Wake Forest through his estate, during Wingate's presidency. Wingate also owned enslaved people. By renaming this building, the university acknowledged its participation in slavery and recognized this aspect of its history and remembers those who labored at the institution against their will. After backlash to the new name, the building was subsequently renamed the Divinity and Religious Studies Building, and the university reorganized the guiding principle for their Advisory Committee on Naming soon after.
The Wake Forest School of Divinity was founded later in 1999. Due to his influence through Wake Forest and the Baptist community, in 1896
Wingate University
Wingate University is a private liberal arts university with campuses in Wingate and Hendersonville, North Carolina. It identifies as a university with "Judeo-Christian heritage."
The university enrolls more than 3,450 students. It offers 37 ...
, and later its home,
Wingate, North Carolina
Wingate is a town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2010 census.
History
The Wingate Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. It is named for ...
, were also named after W.M. Wingate.
[''History & Traditions'' https://www.wingate.edu/about/history-and-traditions]
References
{{Wake Forest University presidents
1828 births
1879 deaths
Presidents of Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University alumni
People from Darlington, South Carolina
Furman University alumni
Academics from South Carolina
19th-century American theologians
19th-century American academics
American slave owners