Charles Wesley Leffingwell (December 5, 1840 – 1928) was an author, educator, and Episcopal priest born in Ellington, Connecticut

Ellington, Connecticut

Ellington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. Ellington was incorporated in May, 1786, from East Windsor. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 12,921...

. He was a descendant of Thomas Leffingwell, known as one of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut

Norwich, Connecticut

Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...

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He studied at Union College

Union College

Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...

 in Schenectady, New York, and Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....

, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi

Beta Theta Pi

Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...

. He later studied at Nashotah House

Nashotah House

Nashotah House is an Anglo-Catholic seminary of the Episcopal Church located in Nashotah, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles from Milwaukee, in the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The seminary opened its doors in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847...

 Theological Seminary before ordination to the diaconate (1867) and priesthood (1868). In 1868, he founded St. Mary's School in Knoxville at the invitation of Henry John Whitehouse

Henry John Whitehouse

Henry John Whitehouse was the second Episcopal bishop of Illinois.-Early life:Whitehouse was born in New York City, the son of John Whitehouse and Eliza Norman. He graduated from Columbia University in 1821, and from the General Theological Seminary in 1824. Whitehouse was ordained deacon in...

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Leffingwell was editor of The Living Church

The Living Church

The Living Church is a biweekly magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin providing commentary and news information on the Episcopal Church in the United States...

magazine from 1880 to 1900.

Published works

• Reading Book of English Classics for Young Pupils (New York: Putnam, 1888)
• Lyrics of The Living Church (Chicago: A. C. McClurg and Company, 1891)
• The Laughing and Sorrowful Rain, and Other Poems (Privately printed, 1899)
• A Book of Prayers, together with Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Ancient and Modern (Milwaukee: 1922)
• Early Days at St. Mary’s, Knoxville, Illinois (Milwaukee: Morehouse Publishing, 1926)