Horace Mellard DuBose
Encyclopedia
Horace Mellard DuBose was an American
bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
and The Methodist Church, elected in 1918. Bishop DuBose gained notability as an author, editor, and a leader in the American temperance movement
.
plantation
in Choctaw County, Alabama
. He was the son of Hezekiah and Amanda (Hawkins) DuBose. DuBose married Miss Rosa Chaney on 6 December 1882. She died in 1895. He then married Mrs. Gertrude V. Amis in 1899. He was educated at Waynesboro High School, Waynesboro, Mississippi
, and under private tutors. He earned no college degree. Emory and Henry College
conferred the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity
upon him in 1891.
Circuit (1879-80). He then transferred to the Texas
Annual Conference, where he served these appointments: St. James Church, Galveston (1881-82); Huntsville
(1882-84); Shearn Church, Houston (1884-86); and the Marvin Church in Tyler
(1885-88).
Rev. DuBose then transferred again, to the Los Angeles
Annual Conference, where he was appointed Pastor of the Trinity Methodist Church in Los Angeles (1889-90). He then became Editor
of The Pacific Methodist Advocate (1890-94). He transferred once again to Texas (the East Texas
Annual Conference), where he again became the Pastor of the Marvin Methodist Church in Tyler (1895-96). Then transferring back to Mississippi, he was appointed Pastor of First Methodist Church, Jackson
(1896-98).
In 1898 Rev. DuBose was elected Secretary of the Epworth League
, serving the Church in this capacity for the next twelve years, insisting that the General Conference not re-elect him to that office. He then transferred to the North Georgia
Annual Conference where he was appointed Pastor of St. John's Church in Augusta
(1910-12). In 1915 Rev. DuBose was elected Book Editor of the M.E. Church, South. He held this office until his election to the episcopacy.
Bishop DuBose died in Nashville
at the age of 82, the "elder statesman" of the M.E. Church, South. Noting his importance as a temperance leader, upon his death Time magazine quoted him as having said in 1932, "If the Angel Gabriel
should come down and tell me that he had changed his mind on prohibition
and wanted it resubmitted, I would not follow him."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
and The Methodist Church, elected in 1918. Bishop DuBose gained notability as an author, editor, and a leader in the American temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
.
Early life and family
DuBose was born on a cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Choctaw County, Alabama
Choctaw County, Alabama
Choctaw County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was established on December 29, 1847 and named for the Choctaw tribe of American Indians. As of 2010 the population was 13,859. The county seat is Butler.- History :...
. He was the son of Hezekiah and Amanda (Hawkins) DuBose. DuBose married Miss Rosa Chaney on 6 December 1882. She died in 1895. He then married Mrs. Gertrude V. Amis in 1899. He was educated at Waynesboro High School, Waynesboro, Mississippi
Waynesboro, Mississippi
Waynesboro is a city in Wayne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,197 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Waynesboro is located at , just east of the Chickasawhay River....
, and under private tutors. He earned no college degree. Emory and Henry College
Emory and Henry College
Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...
conferred the honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
upon him in 1891.
Ordained and editorial ministries
The Rev. DuBose was admitted on trial by the Mississippi Annual Conference of the M.E. Church, South in 1877. He served the following appointments in Mississippi: Chotard Circuit (1877-79) and FayetteFayette, Mississippi
Fayette is a city in Jefferson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jefferson County.-Geography:Fayette is located at ....
Circuit (1879-80). He then transferred to the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Annual Conference, where he served these appointments: St. James Church, Galveston (1881-82); Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
(1882-84); Shearn Church, Houston (1884-86); and the Marvin Church in Tyler
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
(1885-88).
Rev. DuBose then transferred again, to the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Annual Conference, where he was appointed Pastor of the Trinity Methodist Church in Los Angeles (1889-90). He then became Editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of The Pacific Methodist Advocate (1890-94). He transferred once again to Texas (the East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
Annual Conference), where he again became the Pastor of the Marvin Methodist Church in Tyler (1895-96). Then transferring back to Mississippi, he was appointed Pastor of First Methodist Church, Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
(1896-98).
In 1898 Rev. DuBose was elected Secretary of the Epworth League
Epworth League
The Epworth League is a Methodist young adult association for individuals ages 18-35. It traces back to the founding of the organization by the United Methodist Church's predecessor denomination, the Methodist Episcopal church, formed in 1889 at Cleveland, Ohio, by the combination of five young...
, serving the Church in this capacity for the next twelve years, insisting that the General Conference not re-elect him to that office. He then transferred to the North Georgia
North Georgia
North Georgia is the hilly to mountainous northern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the time of the arrival of settlers from Europe, it was inhabited largely by the Cherokee. The counties of North Georgia were often scenes of important events in the history of Georgia...
Annual Conference where he was appointed Pastor of St. John's Church in Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
(1910-12). In 1915 Rev. DuBose was elected Book Editor of the M.E. Church, South. He held this office until his election to the episcopacy.
Episcopal ministry
The Rev. Dr. Horace Mellard DuBose was elected to the office of Bishop and consecrated as such at the 1918 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.Bishop DuBose died in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
at the age of 82, the "elder statesman" of the M.E. Church, South. Noting his importance as a temperance leader, upon his death Time magazine quoted him as having said in 1932, "If the Angel Gabriel
Angel Gabriel
Angel Gabriel may refer to:*The Archangel Gabriel*The Angel Gabriel , an English galleon that sank off Pemaquid, Maine...
should come down and tell me that he had changed his mind on prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
and wanted it resubmitted, I would not follow him."