Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton

Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton (August 9, 1866, Pleasant Valley, Ohio – May 4, 1918) was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1916.

Birth and Family

Franklin was the son of the Rev. William Patrick and Henrietta (Dean) Hamilton. He married Mary Mackie Pierce 25 April 1895. They had the following children: Edward Pierce, Arthur Dean, and Elisabeth Louise.

Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton was the younger brother of John William Hamilton, also a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Education

Franklin graduated from the Boston Latin School in 1883. He then earned the A.B. degree at Harvard University in 1887. He went on to earn the S.T.B. degree (1892) and the Ph.D. degree in 1899 at Boston University. He was also elected Phi Beta Kappa.

Dr. Hamilton continued his education with three years of post-graduate work at Berlin University, Germany, and in Paris, France.

Ordained and Academic Ministry

The Rev. Dr. Hamilton entered the New England Annual Conference of the M.E. Church in 1891. He was appointed to East Boston. He then became the Pastor at Newtonville. His final pastorate was First Methodist of Boston.

Hamilton made a tour around the world in 1904-05 in support of student missions He was elected a delegate to the M.E. General Conferences of 1908-1916, as well as the Ecumenical conference of 1911. He also was the President of the Old South Historical Society of Boston.

In 1907 the Rev. Dr. Hamilton became the Chancellor of the American University, Washington, D.C., serving in this position until elected to the Episcopacy in 1916. He served as a Trustee of American before being elected Chancellor. His office was located at 1422 F St., N.W. in Washington, D.C. He maintained two homes: at the Hotel Hamilton in Washington, and in Milton, Massachusetts.

Episcopal Ministry

The Rev. Dr. Franklin Elmer Ellsworth Hamilton was elected to the Episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the 1916 General Conference of that denomination. He served as resident bishop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from then until his death in 1918.

Selected Writings

Why Did the Pilgrim Fathers Come to America
250th Anniversary Founding of Harvard University
200th Anniversity of the Birth of John Wesley
Cup of Fire, Methodist Book Concern, 1914.
contributions to magazines.

References

The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church[1]
Price, Carl F., Compiler and Editor: Who's Who in American Methodism, New York: E.B. Treat & Co., 1916.
History of Pittsburgh and Environs, vol. 2; Chapter 22, "The Ecclesiastical History", p. 51.