Alexander Hugh Macmillan
Encyclopedia
Alexander Hugh Macmillan (June 2, 1877–August 26, 1966), also referred to as A. H. Macmillan, was an important member of the Bible Students
, and later, of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He became a board member of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
in 1918. He presented a history of the religious movement in his book Faith on the March, published in 1957.
. From an early age he had a deep interest in serving God
. At age 16, he decided to be a preacher
, attending a school away from home, but ceased his studies when he suffered a nervous breakdown
. With financial aid from his father, he relocated to Boston
, Massachusetts
. There, he came in contact with the Bible Student movement. In about 1897, he obtained a copy of the book, The Plan of the Ages, the first of the six-volume series Millennial Dawn (later called Studies in the Scriptures
), written by Charles Taze Russell
. He later obtained the second volume in the series, The Time Is At Hand, which claimed that the end of the Gentile Times would occur in 1914. He believed he had finally found biblical
truth and later used the books as a basis for his theory that he and others would be 'taken home' to heaven in 1914.
sponsored by the Watch Tower Society. In September, he was baptized
in Boston. The following year he became a missionary
and full time minister in Massachusetts.
In September 1901 he traveled to Cleveland to attend a convention, after which he was invited by Russell to live at the Watch Tower Society's headquarters in Allegheny
. Macmillan traveled extensively with Russell, and in 1905 during a convention tour, he met J. F. Rutherford
.
, on September 27–30, Macmillan, believing that "the church was "going home" in October", he announced that "This is probably the last public address
I shall ever deliver because we shall be going home soon."
Following the convention, at a meeting at the Brooklyn headquarters, Russell announced: "The Gentile Times have ended; their kings have had their day," and added that, "At 10:30 Sunday morning Brother Macmillan will give us an address." Those present laughed about Macmillan's previous announcement of his "last public address"; in the subsequent talk, Macmillan claimed they "had been a bit too hasty in thinking [they] were going to heaven right away." Despite his disappointment about the expectations for October 1914, Macmillan remained committed to the Watch Tower Society.
In 1919, The New York Times
characterized Macmillan's address to a meeting of Bible Students as proposing a "new date for the Millennium" in the year 1925.
After the January 5, 1918 annual meeting of the Watch Tower Society, Macmillan joined the Society's board of director, and Rutherford became a board member and president. That year, Macmillan—along with Rutherford and other Watch Tower Society officials—was arrested, charged with violation of the Sedition Act of 1918
as a result of anti-war sentiments expressed in the book, The Finished Mystery; they were sentenced to federal prison
in Atlanta, but were released and exonerated in 1919.
During the 1920s, Macmillan traveled extensively on service tours to Europe
and the Middle East
, for public speaking engagements and to monitor activities at branch offices around the world. Such assignments included Scotland
, Denmark
, Finland
, Norway
, Palestine
, Lebanon
and Syria
, Italy
, and Sweden
.
Macmillan also traveled throughout the United States and Canada as an appointed "pilgrim", performing twice-yearly visits with local congregations. By the 1930s, Macmillan, based in Brooklyn, was a "traveling representative" speaking at congregations and larger assemblies, encouraging individuals to pursue the full-time ministry. Macmillan also met with local law enforcement
and government officials to explain the significance of the dozens of then-recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions which were mostly favorable to Jehovah's Witnesses. Macmillan was permitted by the director of the United States Bureau of Prisons to regularly visit Witnesses in federal prisons in the United States who had been incarcerated for refusing military service during World War II
.
Macmillan became an on-air personality
on the Watch Tower Society's radio station
WBBR, answering questions and providing counsel until the station was sold in 1957.
Macmillan experienced pain associated with increasing health problems, and he privately likened himself to the biblical Job, leading up to his death on August 26, 1966. Macmillan's funeral
service was conducted by Watch Tower Society president Nathan Knorr on August 29, and he was buried at a private burial plot on Staten Island, New York.
Bible Student movement
The Bible Student movement is the name adopted by a Millennialist Restorationist Christian movement that emerged from the teachings and ministry of Charles Taze Russell, also known as Pastor Russell...
, and later, of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He became a board member of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization headquartered in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer and develop doctrines for the religion...
in 1918. He presented a history of the religious movement in his book Faith on the March, published in 1957.
Early life
Macmillan was born in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. From an early age he had a deep interest in serving God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. At age 16, he decided to be a preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
, attending a school away from home, but ceased his studies when he suffered a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. With financial aid from his father, he relocated to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. There, he came in contact with the Bible Student movement. In about 1897, he obtained a copy of the book, The Plan of the Ages, the first of the six-volume series Millennial Dawn (later called Studies in the Scriptures
Studies in the Scriptures
Studies in the Scriptures is a series of publications, intended as a Bible study aid, containing seven volumes of great importance to the history of the Bible Students, and the early history of the Jehovah's Witnesses.-Origin and author:...
), written by Charles Taze Russell
Charles Taze Russell
Charles Taze Russell , or Pastor Russell, was a prominent early 20th century Christian restorationist minister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement, from which Jehovah's Witnesses and numerous independent Bible Student groups emerged...
. He later obtained the second volume in the series, The Time Is At Hand, which claimed that the end of the Gentile Times would occur in 1914. He believed he had finally found biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
truth and later used the books as a basis for his theory that he and others would be 'taken home' to heaven in 1914.
Ministry
Macmillan first met Russell in 1900. In June of that year, he traveled to Philadelphia to a conventionConvention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
sponsored by the Watch Tower Society. In September, he was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
in Boston. The following year he became a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and full time minister in Massachusetts.
In September 1901 he traveled to Cleveland to attend a convention, after which he was invited by Russell to live at the Watch Tower Society's headquarters in Allegheny
Allegheny
- Geologic and geographic features :* Allegheny River, in Pennsylvania and New York* Allegheny Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountain Range in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia...
. Macmillan traveled extensively with Russell, and in 1905 during a convention tour, he met J. F. Rutherford
Joseph Franklin Rutherford
Joseph Franklin Rutherford , also known as "Judge" Rutherford, was the second president of the incorporated Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and played a primary role in the organization and doctrinal development of Jehovah's Witnesses, which emerged from the Bible Student movement established...
.
Macmillan's proclamation of 1914
In the decades prior to 1914, Watch Tower Society publications claimed that Armageddon would take place in 1914. As the year approached, their publications stated that October 1914 would mark the "end of the Gentile Times" and the beginning of Christ's kingship. Many Bible Students believed they would be sent to heaven in 1914. At a convention at Saratoga Springs, New YorkSaratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs, also known as simply Saratoga, is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 26,586 at the 2010 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area. While the word "Saratoga" is known to be a corruption of a Native American name, ...
, on September 27–30, Macmillan, believing that "the church was "going home" in October", he announced that "This is probably the last public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
I shall ever deliver because we shall be going home soon."
Following the convention, at a meeting at the Brooklyn headquarters, Russell announced: "The Gentile Times have ended; their kings have had their day," and added that, "At 10:30 Sunday morning Brother Macmillan will give us an address." Those present laughed about Macmillan's previous announcement of his "last public address"; in the subsequent talk, Macmillan claimed they "had been a bit too hasty in thinking [they] were going to heaven right away." Despite his disappointment about the expectations for October 1914, Macmillan remained committed to the Watch Tower Society.
In 1919, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
characterized Macmillan's address to a meeting of Bible Students as proposing a "new date for the Millennium" in the year 1925.
Watch Tower Society board of directors
In Faith on the March, Macmillan described a private meeting he had with Russell in 1916. According to Macmillan, Russell spoke of his poor health and indicated a desire for Macmillan to take over the affairs of the Allegheny office. Russell died several weeks later, on October 31, 1916. By 1918, The New York Times described Macmillan as "Superintendent of the Bethel Home" and as one of "the leaders of the International Bible Students Association".After the January 5, 1918 annual meeting of the Watch Tower Society, Macmillan joined the Society's board of director, and Rutherford became a board member and president. That year, Macmillan—along with Rutherford and other Watch Tower Society officials—was arrested, charged with violation of the Sedition Act of 1918
Sedition Act of 1918
The Sedition Act of 1918 was an Act of the United States Congress that extended the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion that cast the government or the war effort in a negative light or interfered with the sale of government bonds...
as a result of anti-war sentiments expressed in the book, The Finished Mystery; they were sentenced to federal prison
Federal prison
Federal prisons are run by national governments in countries where subdivisions of the country also operate prisons.In the United States federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In Canada the Correctional Service of Canada operates federal prisons. Prison sentences in these...
in Atlanta, but were released and exonerated in 1919.
During the 1920s, Macmillan traveled extensively on service tours to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, for public speaking engagements and to monitor activities at branch offices around the world. Such assignments included Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Macmillan also traveled throughout the United States and Canada as an appointed "pilgrim", performing twice-yearly visits with local congregations. By the 1930s, Macmillan, based in Brooklyn, was a "traveling representative" speaking at congregations and larger assemblies, encouraging individuals to pursue the full-time ministry. Macmillan also met with local law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
and government officials to explain the significance of the dozens of then-recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions which were mostly favorable to Jehovah's Witnesses. Macmillan was permitted by the director of the United States Bureau of Prisons to regularly visit Witnesses in federal prisons in the United States who had been incarcerated for refusing military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Later years
In 1955, Macmillan was granted permission to use Watch Tower Society records to compile a history of Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1957, he published his account, under the title, Faith on the March.Macmillan became an on-air personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
on the Watch Tower Society's radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
WBBR, answering questions and providing counsel until the station was sold in 1957.
Macmillan experienced pain associated with increasing health problems, and he privately likened himself to the biblical Job, leading up to his death on August 26, 1966. Macmillan's funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
service was conducted by Watch Tower Society president Nathan Knorr on August 29, and he was buried at a private burial plot on Staten Island, New York.