Hiram Bingham I
Encyclopedia
Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham I (1789–1869), was leader of the first group of Protestant missionaries
to introduce Christianity
to the Hawaiian islands
.
. He was born October 30, 1789 in Bennington, Vermont. He was one of thirteen children of his father Calvin Bingham and mother Lydia. He attended Middlebury College
and the Andover Theological Seminary. He broke off an engagement and found a new bride, Sybil Mosley, in order to become a missionary. On October 23, 1819 he was sent from Boston aboard the brig Thaddeus along with Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston
to lead a mission by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
.
in 1820, and then sailed on to Honolulu April 19. In 1823, Queen Kaahumanu and six high chiefs requested baptism. Soon after, the government banned prostitution and drunkenness, which resulted in the shipping industry and the foreign community resenting Bingham's impact.
Bingham was involved in the creation of the spelling system for the Hawaiian Language
and also translated some books of the Bible into Hawaiian.
Bingham designed the Kawaiahaʻo Church in Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu
. The church was constructed between 1836 and 1842 in the New England style of the Hawaiian missionaries and is one of the oldest standing Christian places of worship in Hawaii.
Bingham also has a math building in Punahou School named after him.
February 4, 1841. for what was intended to be a sabbatical due to Sybil's poor health, but the board refused to reappoint him as a missionary even after Sybil's death on February 27, 1848. He published a memoir, A Residence of Twenty-One Years in the Sandwich Islands in 1847.
He remained in New England as the pastor of an African American church. He remarried to Naomi Morse in 1852, who ran a girl's school. He died November 11, 1869 and was buried at Grove Street Cemetery, in New Haven, Connecticut
. Leonard Bacon
gave the address at his funeral.
, was also a missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii
. His daughter Lydia married the later Hawaiian missionary Titus Coan
.
His grandson Hiram Bingham III
was an explorer who claimed to have discovered Machu Picchu
and became a US Senator and Governor of Connecticut
. His great-grandson Hiram Bingham IV
was the US Vice Consul in Marseille
, France
during World War II
who rescued Jews from the Holocaust
. Bingham Hall at Punahou School, President Barack Obama's favorite hang out spot when he was a student there, is named in his honor. The legendary group of students that frequent the building are known worldwide as the "Binghamboys."
It was hull number 1726. Bingham was caricatured as the character Reverend Abner Hale
in James Michener's novel Hawaii
.
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...
to introduce Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to the Hawaiian islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.
Life
Bingham was descended from Deacon Thomas Bingham who had come to the American colonies in 1650 and settled in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. He was born October 30, 1789 in Bennington, Vermont. He was one of thirteen children of his father Calvin Bingham and mother Lydia. He attended Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
and the Andover Theological Seminary. He broke off an engagement and found a new bride, Sybil Mosley, in order to become a missionary. On October 23, 1819 he was sent from Boston aboard the brig Thaddeus along with Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston
Asa and Lucy Goodale Thurston
Asa Thurston and Lucy Goodale Thurston were in the first company of American Christian Missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands.-Asa Thurston:...
to lead a mission by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
.
Hawaii
Bingham and his wife arrived first on the Island of HawaiiHawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
in 1820, and then sailed on to Honolulu April 19. In 1823, Queen Kaahumanu and six high chiefs requested baptism. Soon after, the government banned prostitution and drunkenness, which resulted in the shipping industry and the foreign community resenting Bingham's impact.
Bingham was involved in the creation of the spelling system for the Hawaiian Language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
and also translated some books of the Bible into Hawaiian.
Bingham designed the Kawaiahaʻo Church in Honolulu on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. The church was constructed between 1836 and 1842 in the New England style of the Hawaiian missionaries and is one of the oldest standing Christian places of worship in Hawaii.
Bingham also has a math building in Punahou School named after him.
Return
The board grew concerned that he was interfering too often in Hawaiian politics. The Binghams left August 3, 1840 and returned to New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
February 4, 1841. for what was intended to be a sabbatical due to Sybil's poor health, but the board refused to reappoint him as a missionary even after Sybil's death on February 27, 1848. He published a memoir, A Residence of Twenty-One Years in the Sandwich Islands in 1847.
He remained in New England as the pastor of an African American church. He remarried to Naomi Morse in 1852, who ran a girl's school. He died November 11, 1869 and was buried at Grove Street Cemetery, in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. Leonard Bacon
Leonard Bacon
Leonard Bacon was an American Congregational preacher and writer.-Biography:Leonard Bacon was born in Detroit, Michigan...
gave the address at his funeral.
Legacy
Bingham's son, Hiram Bingham IIHiram Bingham II
Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham II , was a Protestant Christian missionary to Hawaii and the Gilbert Islands....
, was also a missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. His daughter Lydia married the later Hawaiian missionary Titus Coan
Titus Coan
Titus Coan was an early American Christian Missionary to the Hawaiian Islands.-Early life and family:Titus Coan was born on February 1, 1801 in Killingworth, Connecticut, the son of Gaylord Coan and Tamza Nettleton. In June, 1831, he entered the Auburn Theological Seminary in Auburn, New York, and...
.
His grandson Hiram Bingham III
Hiram Bingham III
Hiram Bingham, formally Hiram Bingham III, was an academic, explorer, treasure hunter and politician from the United States. He made public the existence of the Quechua citadel of Machu Picchu in 1911 with the guidance of local indigenous farmers...
was an explorer who claimed to have discovered Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
and became a US Senator and Governor of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. His great-grandson Hiram Bingham IV
Hiram Bingham IV
Hiram "Harry" Bingham IV was an American diplomat. He served as a Vice-Consul in Marseille, France, during World War II, and helped over 2,500 Jews to flee from France as Nazi forces advanced.-Early life:...
was the US Vice Consul in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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...
who rescued Jews from the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. Bingham Hall at Punahou School, President Barack Obama's favorite hang out spot when he was a student there, is named in his honor. The legendary group of students that frequent the building are known worldwide as the "Binghamboys."
It was hull number 1726. Bingham was caricatured as the character Reverend Abner Hale
Reverend Abner Hale
Reverend Abner Hale is a fictional character from James A. Michener's novel Hawaii, and also from the George Roy Hill-directed film based on the book. He was portrayed by Max von Sydow in the movie.-Biography:...
in James Michener's novel Hawaii
Hawaii (novel)
Hawaii is a novel by James Michener published in 1959. Written in episodic format like many of Michener's works, the book narrates the story of the original Hawaiians who sailed to the islands from Bora Bora, the early American missionaries and merchants, and the Chinese and Japanese immigrants who...
.