Joseph Horner Fletcher
Encyclopedia
Joseph Horner Fletcher was a West Indies-born Methodist minister of English
descent and was the founding Principal of Wesley College, Auckland
and the second President of Newington College
, Sydney
.
, Windward Islands
, and was the eldest son of a Wesleyan
missionary
. Horner was his mother's maiden name. From 1830 until 1837 he attended Kingswood School
, England, and was then a student at a school in Bath run by his uncle. In 1842 he started a business before becoming a local preacher. He trained at Richmond College
, Surrey
, and in 1845 was ordained into the Wesleyan ministry. Three years later he married Kate Green.
, New Zealand
, and was the founding principal of Wesley College. Due to poor health he was forced to retire from Wesley and undertake circuit work. He was in Auckland and New Plymouth
during the Maori war. In 1861, he moved to Brisbane
and in 1863 was appointed the first chairman of the Queensland
Wesleyan District.
as President of Newington College, Sydney. He saw Newington as providing a secular education with a Christian ethos and hoped to overcome sectarianism through education. Newington students were examined by outside academics at his instigation. Fletcher was a strong supporter of the education policies of Henry Parkes
and opposed corporal punishment in schools. Under Fletcher Newington moved from Silverwater
to the present campus at Stanmore
.
in Sydney. Fletcher was elected as the first president of the New South Wales and Queensland Wesleyan Methodist Conference in 1874 and again in 1884, when he was also president of the General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church.
, edited a memorial edition of his Sermons, Addresses & Essays.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
descent and was the founding Principal of Wesley College, Auckland
Wesley College, Auckland
Wesley College is a secondary school in Pukekohe, New Zealand. The school provides education from year 9 to 13.The school was founded by members of the Methodist Church in 1844, making it one of the country's oldest schools. Initially located in Grafton and then the Three Kings area of Auckland, it...
and the second President of Newington College
Newington College
Newington College is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for boys, located in Stanmore, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
Early life
Fletcher was born in St VincentSaint Vincent (island)
Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains...
, Windward Islands
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...
, and was the eldest son of a Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
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...
. Horner was his mother's maiden name. From 1830 until 1837 he attended Kingswood School
Kingswood School
Kingswood School, referred to as 'Kingswood', is an independent day and boarding school located in Bath, Somerset, England. The school is coeducational and educates some 950 children aged 3 to 18. It is notable for being founded by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in 1748...
, England, and was then a student at a school in Bath run by his uncle. In 1842 he started a business before becoming a local preacher. He trained at Richmond College
Richmond College
Richmond College is a primary and secondary school in Galle, Sri Lanka. The school was established in 1814 by Christian missionaries. Richmond College is now a well established institution with a reputation as one of the finest schools in Sri Lanka...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, and in 1845 was ordained into the Wesleyan ministry. Three years later he married Kate Green.
New Zealand & Australian Ministry
Fletcher was posted to AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and was the founding principal of Wesley College. Due to poor health he was forced to retire from Wesley and undertake circuit work. He was in Auckland and New Plymouth
New Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
during the Maori war. In 1861, he moved to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and in 1863 was appointed the first chairman of the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Wesleyan District.
School President
In 1865 Fletcher succeeded John MantonJohn Manton
John Allen Manton was an English-born Australian Methodist minister, school principal and founding President of Newington College, Sydney.-Early life:...
as President of Newington College, Sydney. He saw Newington as providing a secular education with a Christian ethos and hoped to overcome sectarianism through education. Newington students were examined by outside academics at his instigation. Fletcher was a strong supporter of the education policies of Henry Parkes
Henry Parkes
Sir Henry Parkes, GCMG was an Australian statesman, the "Father of Federation." As the earliest advocate of a Federal Council of the colonies of Australia, a precursor to the Federation of Australia, he was the most prominent of the Australian Founding Fathers.Parkes was described during his...
and opposed corporal punishment in schools. Under Fletcher Newington moved from Silverwater
Silverwater, New South Wales
Silverwater is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. Silverwater is located 20 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Auburn Council....
to the present campus at Stanmore
Stanmore, New South Wales
Stanmore is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. Stanmore is located 6 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Marrickville Council.-History:...
.
Wider Ministry
His work led to the creation of the Central Methodist MissionMission Australia
Mission Australia is a provider of family and community services throughout Australia. The organisation has at least 3200 staff, 1,000 volunteers and 300 services in every state and territory of Australia, and is one of the largest community organisations in the nation. It is currently headed by...
in Sydney. Fletcher was elected as the first president of the New South Wales and Queensland Wesleyan Methodist Conference in 1874 and again in 1884, when he was also president of the General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church.
Publication
In 1892 Fletcher's eldest son, Joseph James FletcherJoseph James Fletcher
Joseph James Fletcher was an Australian biologist, winner of the 1921 Clarke Medal.Fletcher was born at Auckland, New Zealand the son of the Rev Joseph Horner Fletcher, a Methodist clergyman, and his wife Kate, née Green...
, edited a memorial edition of his Sermons, Addresses & Essays.
External links
- D. B. Smart, 'Fletcher, Joseph Horner (1823 - 1890)', Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
, Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 189.