William Porcher DuBose
Encyclopedia
William Porcher DuBose was an American priest and theologian in the Episcopal Church in the United States. He spent most of his career as a professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee
. He is remembered on August 18 on the Episcopal Calendar of Lesser Feasts and Fasts
. His middle name, Porcher, is pronounced as if it were spelled por-shay.
into a wealthy Huguenot
family that had been in the Midlands
of South Carolina
since 1686. He grew up on the 2500 acres (10.1 km²) family plantation near Winnsboro. DuBose began his education at Mount Zion College in Winnsboro. From there, at age 15, DuBose entered the South Carolina Military College, The Citadel
, in 1851. By his final year (1855), he was the ranking officer and the Assistant Professor of English. He graduated from The Citadel in 1855.
It was at The Citadel that DuBose experienced his "conversion experience." He wrote:
In 1856, DuBose entered the University of Virginia
. He graduated from that institution with a Master of Arts in 1859. Later that same year, he entered the South Carolina diocesan seminary in Camden, South Carolina
. It was during DuBose's seminary studies that the American Civil War
broke out.
of the legion. The legion saw action at the Second Battle of Manassas, where DuBose was injured twice. For a portion of 1862, DuBose was a prisoner of war
. He was then wounded once more, in December of the same year.
In 1863, through family friends and church contacts, a commission was obtained for DuBose as a chaplain
. He was ordained in December 1863, and joined Kershaw's Brigade
as its chaplain in Greeneville, Tennessee.
near his home of Winnsboro. While there, he also taught Greek at nearby Mt. Zion College.
In July 1871, DuBose's name was given to the Board of Trustees of the University of the South by Vice-Chancellor Charles Todd Quintard, to serve as Chaplain of the School and Professor of the School of Moral Science and the Evidences of the Christian Religion. DuBose served as Chaplain of the school from 1871-1883 (he was succeeded by Thomas Frank Gailor
).
Among his work at the University of the South, DuBose helped to establish the Theological Department, which would later be known as the School of Theology at the University of the South. He served as professor in the Theological Department from 1877-1893. In 1894, DuBose was elected as Dean of the Theological Department, a position he held until 1908.
He later married Maria Louise Rucks Yerger.
Sewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee is an unincorporated locality in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States, treated by the U.S. Census as a census-designated place . The population was 2,361 at the 2000 census...
. He is remembered on August 18 on the Episcopal Calendar of Lesser Feasts and Fasts
Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)
The veneration of saints in the Episcopal Church is a continuation of an ancient tradition from the early Church which honors important people of the Christian faith. The usage of the term "saint" is similar to Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Those in the Anglo-Catholic tradition may...
. His middle name, Porcher, is pronounced as if it were spelled por-shay.
Early Life Through the Civil War
In 1836, William Porcher DuBose was born near Winnsboro, South CarolinaWinnsboro, South Carolina
Winnsboro is a town in Fairfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,599 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Fairfield County. Winnsboro is part of the Columbia, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area....
into a wealthy Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
family that had been in the Midlands
Midlands, South Carolina
The Midlands roughly refers to an area in the middle of South Carolina. Columbia is the largest city in the region and location of the state government...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
since 1686. He grew up on the 2500 acres (10.1 km²) family plantation near Winnsboro. DuBose began his education at Mount Zion College in Winnsboro. From there, at age 15, DuBose entered the South Carolina Military College, The Citadel
The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
, in 1851. By his final year (1855), he was the ranking officer and the Assistant Professor of English. He graduated from The Citadel in 1855.
It was at The Citadel that DuBose experienced his "conversion experience." He wrote:
I lept to my feet trembling, and then that happened that I can only describe by saying that a light shone about me and a Presence filled the room. At the same time, ineffable joy and peace took possession of me which it is impossible to either express or explain.
In 1856, DuBose entered the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He graduated from that institution with a Master of Arts in 1859. Later that same year, he entered the South Carolina diocesan seminary in Camden, South Carolina
Camden, South Carolina
Camden is the fourth oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and is also the county seat of Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was an estimated 7,103 in 2009...
. It was during DuBose's seminary studies that the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out.
Civil War service
DuBose signed up with South Carolina's Holcombe Legion, and was appointed as the adjutantAdjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the legion. The legion saw action at the Second Battle of Manassas, where DuBose was injured twice. For a portion of 1862, DuBose was a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
. He was then wounded once more, in December of the same year.
In 1863, through family friends and church contacts, a commission was obtained for DuBose as a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
. He was ordained in December 1863, and joined Kershaw's Brigade
Joseph B. Kershaw
Joseph Brevard Kershaw was a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
as its chaplain in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Career as a Priest & Theologian
After the war, DuBose served St. Stephen's Episcopal ChurchSt. Stephen's Episcopal Church (Ridgeway, South Carolina)
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church building located northeast of Ridgeway, South Carolina, on County Road 106. Built of wood in 1854 in the Carpenter Gothic style, it was designed by the Rev. John Dewitt McCollough, who later became its rector. The exterior was painted a...
near his home of Winnsboro. While there, he also taught Greek at nearby Mt. Zion College.
In July 1871, DuBose's name was given to the Board of Trustees of the University of the South by Vice-Chancellor Charles Todd Quintard, to serve as Chaplain of the School and Professor of the School of Moral Science and the Evidences of the Christian Religion. DuBose served as Chaplain of the school from 1871-1883 (he was succeeded by Thomas Frank Gailor
Thomas Frank Gailor
The Right Reverend Thomas Frank Gailor was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee in the Episcopal Church and served from 1898-1935. He served as the eighth chancellor of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, from June 23, 1908, until his death...
).
Among his work at the University of the South, DuBose helped to establish the Theological Department, which would later be known as the School of Theology at the University of the South. He served as professor in the Theological Department from 1877-1893. In 1894, DuBose was elected as Dean of the Theological Department, a position he held until 1908.
Marriages and family
On April 30, 1863, William Porcher DuBose, married Anne Barnwell Peronneau, who died in December 1878.He later married Maria Louise Rucks Yerger.
Writings of William Porcher DuBose
(Listed Chronologically)- The Christian Ministry. No Publisher, 1870.
- The Soteriology of the New Testament. New York: MacMillan, 1892.
- The Gospel in the Gospels. New York: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1906.
- High Priesthood and Sacrifice. New York: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1908.
- The Reason of Life. New York: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1911.
- Turning Points in My Life. New York: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1912
- Over forty published articles.
- William Porcher DuBose. A Dubose Reader, ed. Donald S. Armentrout. Sewanee, TN: University of the South, 1984.
See also
- Ralph LukerRalph LukerDr. Ralph E. Luker is an American historian, teacher, and the author of several books about race, religion and the African-American Civil Rights Movement....
, author of A Southern Tradition in Theology and Social Criticism, 1830-1930: The Religious Liberalism and Social Conservatism of James Warley Miles, William Porcher DuBose, and Edgar Gardner Murphy. Mellen Press (1984) Hardcover: ISBN 0-88946-655-6, ISBN 978-0-88946-655-5. - Edgar Gardner MurphyEdgar Gardner MurphyEdgar Gardner Murphy was an American clergyman and author.He was born at Fort Smith, Arkansas, graduated from the University of the South in 1889, and served as a priest of the Episcopal Church for twelve years. After 1903, he worked exclusively in educational and social work...