Joseph Tuckerman

Joseph Tuckerman

Joseph Tuckerman (born January 18, 1778 in Boston , Massachusetts ; died April 20, 1840 in Havana , Cuba ) was an American Unitarian clergyman and social reformer.

life and work

Born to wealthy businessman Edward Tuckerman , he was well educated in the Boston establishment schools. 1795–1798 he studied at Harvard University . His roommate at the time was William Ellery Channing , who later became famous as the "apostle of Unitarianism" and Tuckerman remained a friend and companion throughout his life. In 1801 he entered the Unitarian priesthood and was pastor of the port city of Chelsea, Massachusetts , until 1826 , where he mainly took care of the pastoral care of the deep sea sailors and their families.

After his resignation as pastor, he was called by the American Unitarian Association, which had recently been founded and was mainly led by Channing, as a pastor for all of Boston. In this role he devoted himself above all to the lower class of Boston, whose poverty became increasingly overwhelming with the accelerating industrialization . In addition to missionary work and practical poor relief, he was also involved in his increasing publication work for the cause of the impoverished. He combined the call for reforms - including in the education, prison and health systems - with a scientific view of pauperism and its consequences. Although his writings did not have any immediate political consequences, Tuckerman was one of the founders of Unitarian philanthropism alongside Channing, which in the decades after his death became an ethical guide, especially for the upper class, in many cases in New England.

Tuckerman's health has deteriorated noticeably in recent years; he died in 1840 on a convalescent trip to Cuba.

literature

• Daniel T. McColgan: Joseph Tuckerman: Pioneer in American Social Work. Catholic University of America Press, Washington, DC 1940.