James Cooley Fletcher
Encyclopedia
James Cooley Fletcher was a Presbyterian minister and missionary
with strong activities in Brazilian lands.
Fletcher was the son of Calvin Fletcher
, a banker and one of the first settlers of Indiana
. James Cooley Fletcher graduated from Brown University
in 1846, and studied theology for two years in the Princeton Theological Seminary
under Charles Hodge
. His studies were completed in Europe, as he sought to improve his French in order to become a missionary in Haiti
. In that period, he married a daughter of César Malan
, a minister from Geneva
.
He went back to the USA in 1850, when his daughter Julia Constance Fletcher was born. In the next year, he went to Rio de Janeiro
(at that time the capital of Brazil
) as an agent of both the American Christian Union and American Seamen's Friend Society in a mission which endured until 1854. The American Christian Union worked together with the American Bible Society
and the American Tract Society
. Both of them also supported Fletcher years later.
In 1855 and 1856, Fletcher was back in Brazil, this time as an agent of the American Sunday School Union. During this trip he traveled more than 5,000 kilometers through Brazil, giving out Bible
s. His travels to Brazil, added to the experiences of the Methodist minister and missionary Daniel Parish Kidder
, became the focus of a book in 1857, Brazil and the Brazilians Portrayed in Historical and Descriptive Sketches, a pioneering depiction of Brazil for the American people, with at least eight editions.
In 1862, Fletcher sailed more than 3,000 kilometers through the Amazon River
to collect species for professor Louis Agassiz
. This resulted in the Agassiz expedition of 1865. In 1864 and 1865, Fletcher and the liberal Brazilian politician Aureliano Cândido Tavares Bastos convinced the governors of Brazil and the USA to set up a steamboat
line between Rio de Janeiro and New York. Influenced by Fletcher, Aureliano and other Brazilian politicians tried and in some cases managed to make many political, social and economic reforms in Brazil; they also encouraged European and North American migrants.
In 1868 and 1869, Fletcher worked as an agent for the American Tract Society
. This would be his last journey to Brazil. Thereafter he was nominated consul at Oporto, Portugal, between 1869 and 1873, and was a missionary in Naples, Italy between 1873 and 1877. In 1877, he returned to Indianapolis, where he settled. His daughter stayed in Italy, where she became a prolific writer with the pen name George Fleming.
Fletcher left many important friends in Brazil, including liberal politicians and intellectuals as well as the emperor Dom Pedro II. He worked as a North American diplomatic secretary, and his book left a strong image of Brazil in the USA. In Brazil, he left behind a strong desire for Protestant and Anglo-Saxon values.
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...
with strong activities in Brazilian lands.
Fletcher was the son of Calvin Fletcher
Calvin Fletcher
Calvin Fletcher was an attorney and legislator from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.-Early life:Fletcher was born in Ludlow, Vermont to Jesse and Lucy Keyes Fletcher. He started out for Urbana, Ohio in 1817 where he studied law in Urbana under James Cooley and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1820...
, a banker and one of the first settlers of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. James Cooley Fletcher graduated from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1846, and studied theology for two years in the Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
under Charles Hodge
Charles Hodge
Charles Hodge was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. A Presbyterian theologian, he was a leading exponent of historical Calvinism in America during the 19th century. He was deeply rooted in the Scottish philosophy of Common Sense Realism...
. His studies were completed in Europe, as he sought to improve his French in order to become a missionary in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. In that period, he married a daughter of César Malan
César Malan
Henri Abraham César Malan was a French-speaking Protestant Christian, minister of the gospel and hymn-writer.-Life:...
, a minister from Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
He went back to the USA in 1850, when his daughter Julia Constance Fletcher was born. In the next year, he went to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(at that time the capital of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) as an agent of both the American Christian Union and American Seamen's Friend Society in a mission which endured until 1854. The American Christian Union worked together with the American Bible Society
American Bible Society
The American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
and the American Tract Society
American Tract Society
The American Tract Society is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825 in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back through the New York Tract Society and the New England Tract Society to...
. Both of them also supported Fletcher years later.
In 1855 and 1856, Fletcher was back in Brazil, this time as an agent of the American Sunday School Union. During this trip he traveled more than 5,000 kilometers through Brazil, giving out Bible
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...
s. His travels to Brazil, added to the experiences of the Methodist minister and missionary Daniel Parish Kidder
Daniel Parish Kidder
Daniel Parish Kidder was an American Methodist Episcopal theologian and writer, born at Darien, Genesee County, Co., N.Y..He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1836, entered the ministry, and in 1837 went as a missionary to Brazil, where he was the first to preach a Protestant sermon in some...
, became the focus of a book in 1857, Brazil and the Brazilians Portrayed in Historical and Descriptive Sketches, a pioneering depiction of Brazil for the American people, with at least eight editions.
In 1862, Fletcher sailed more than 3,000 kilometers through the Amazon River
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
to collect species for professor Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
. This resulted in the Agassiz expedition of 1865. In 1864 and 1865, Fletcher and the liberal Brazilian politician Aureliano Cândido Tavares Bastos convinced the governors of Brazil and the USA to set up a steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
line between Rio de Janeiro and New York. Influenced by Fletcher, Aureliano and other Brazilian politicians tried and in some cases managed to make many political, social and economic reforms in Brazil; they also encouraged European and North American migrants.
In 1868 and 1869, Fletcher worked as an agent for the American Tract Society
American Tract Society
The American Tract Society is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825 in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back through the New York Tract Society and the New England Tract Society to...
. This would be his last journey to Brazil. Thereafter he was nominated consul at Oporto, Portugal, between 1869 and 1873, and was a missionary in Naples, Italy between 1873 and 1877. In 1877, he returned to Indianapolis, where he settled. His daughter stayed in Italy, where she became a prolific writer with the pen name George Fleming.
Fletcher left many important friends in Brazil, including liberal politicians and intellectuals as well as the emperor Dom Pedro II. He worked as a North American diplomatic secretary, and his book left a strong image of Brazil in the USA. In Brazil, he left behind a strong desire for Protestant and Anglo-Saxon values.