D. Elton Trueblood
Encyclopedia
David Elton Trueblood who was usually known as "Elton Trueblood" or "D. Elton Trueblood", was a noted 20th century American
Quaker author and theologian, former chaplain both to Harvard and Stanford universities.
, Hartford Seminary
, and Harvard University
before finishing his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University
in Philosophy.
, Guilford College
, Harvard University
, Stanford University
, and Earlham College
.
Trueblood abandoned this prestige to settle in the Quaker hub community of Richmond, Indiana
to help spur the growth of Earlham College
from a tiny regional, religious school, and build it into a top flight institution of higher learning. He was a founder of the Earlham School of Religion
, a Quaker seminary in Richmond, and part of a renaissance of American Quaker thought and action spurred on partly by the common experiences of Quaker intellectuals as conscientious objectors during World War II
, although Trueblood himself was not a pacifist. He actively sought to mentor younger Quakers into his 90's. Trueblood also founded the Yokefellow movement and supported Stephen Ministries
.
He always maintained an internationalist perspective, serving for many years as the permanent representative from the Global Quaker community to the World Council of Churches
, an organization he helped bring into being. In the 1950s, Trueblood served as a senior advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, who created a post for him as Director of Religious Information at the U.S. Information Agency (formerly the Voice of America). Time magazine profiled him in this role on March 15, 1954. Later, he served as an advisor to President Richard Nixon
. He was a political conservative who supported Nixon's foreign policy
, including the Vietnam War
, and gave the convocation
at the 1972 Republican National Convention
.
), A Place to Stand, Your Other Vocation and The Humor of Christ.
Trueblood's short book, The Predicament of Modern Man, received much attention near the end of World War II. People were searching for spiritual meaning and morality in the face of much suffering during World War II. Elton used the analogy that searching for morality without a foundation in religion was a futile effort, akin to trying to make cut flowers in a vase live forever. Elton wrote a shorter version of this basic thesis for Reader's Digest, which generated volumes of mail—he reportedly responded to every letter.
Trueblood's books, The Logic of Belief and Philosophy of Religion were considered some of Elton's most rigorous intellectual contributions to the field of philosophy of religion.
Trueblood's book on Abraham Lincoln
caught the attention of Nancy Reagan
, who talked about it in an interview with Good Housekeeping in September 1981.
Trueblood sought to provide the general audience with a great many readable works to promote a depth of religious thought in all people. One of his final books was an autobiography
entitled While it is Day, which traced his personal journey from his boyhood in Iowa
and placed it in the context of the history of his family long connection with Quakerism.
, who was also a Quaker. They first met when Elton was the chaplain and a faculty member at Stanford University
and Hoover had retired to Palo Alto, California. They lived near each other and eventually struck up a friendship that lasted for decades. When Hoover died in 1964 while Trueblood was traveling in southeast Asia, the State Department flew Trueblood back to the United States to perform the funeral service at the request of Hoover's family.
Trueblood was also friends with Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower
, Lyndon B. Johnson
, Richard Nixon
and Ronald Reagan
.
.
Trueblood retired from Earlham College in 1966, but lived in Richmond, Indiana for nearly the rest of his life. He continued to write books and give public speeches in retirement. Trueblood died on December 20, 1994 and his obituary was featured in The New York Times.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Quaker author and theologian, former chaplain both to Harvard and Stanford universities.
Early life and education
Elton Trueblood was born December 12, 1900 in Iowa, the fourth of five children, and graduated from William Penn College in Iowa in 1922. He did graduate study at Brown UniversityBrown 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 ,...
, Hartford Seminary
Hartford Seminary
Hartford Seminary is a theological college in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.-History:Seminaries in the city of Hartford date back to 1833. In 1913, the current Hartford Seminary came into existence through the combination of three Hartford-based schools affiliated with the city's Congregationalist...
, and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
before finishing his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Philosophy.
Career
During his career, Trueblood held faculty and chaplain positions at Haverford CollegeHaverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
, Guilford College
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
.
Trueblood abandoned this prestige to settle in the Quaker hub community of Richmond, Indiana
Richmond, Indiana
Richmond is a city largely within Wayne Township, Wayne County, in east central Indiana, United States, which borders Ohio. The city also includes the Richmond Municipal Airport, which is in Boston Township and separated from the rest of the city...
to help spur the growth of Earlham College
Earlham College
Earlham College is a liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. It was founded in 1847 by Quakers and has approximately 1,200 students.The president is John David Dawson...
from a tiny regional, religious school, and build it into a top flight institution of higher learning. He was a founder of the Earlham School of Religion
Earlham School of Religion
Earlham School of Religion , a graduate division of Earlham College, located in Richmond, Indiana, is the oldest graduate seminary associated with the Religious Society of Friends . ESR was founded in 1960 by Wilmer Cooper, D. Elton Trueblood and others for the training of Quaker ministers...
, a Quaker seminary in Richmond, and part of a renaissance of American Quaker thought and action spurred on partly by the common experiences of Quaker intellectuals as conscientious objectors during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, although Trueblood himself was not a pacifist. He actively sought to mentor younger Quakers into his 90's. Trueblood also founded the Yokefellow movement and supported Stephen Ministries
Stephen Ministries
Stephen Ministries is a program of lay pastoral counseling and caregiving founded by Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri in 1975...
.
He always maintained an internationalist perspective, serving for many years as the permanent representative from the Global Quaker community to the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
, an organization he helped bring into being. In the 1950s, Trueblood served as a senior advisor to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, who created a post for him as Director of Religious Information at the U.S. Information Agency (formerly the Voice of America). Time magazine profiled him in this role on March 15, 1954. Later, he served as an advisor to President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. He was a political conservative who supported Nixon's foreign policy
Foreign policy
A country's foreign policy, also called the foreign relations policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve its goals within international relations milieu. The approaches are strategically employed to interact with other countries...
, including the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and gave the convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
at the 1972 Republican National Convention
1972 Republican National Convention
The 1972 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held from August 21 to August 23, 1972 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. It nominated the incumbents Richard M. Nixon of California for President and Spiro T. Agnew of Maryland for Vice...
.
Publications
Elton Trueblood wrote 33 books, including: The Predicament of Modern Man, Alternative to Futility, Foundations for Reconstruction, Signs of Hope, The Logic of Belief, Philosophy of Religion, Robert Barclay, Abraham Lincoln: Theologian of American Anguish, The Idea of a College, The People Called Quakers, The Incendiary Fellowship, The Trustworthiness of Religious Experience (1939 Swarthmore LectureSwarthmore Lecture
Swarthmore Lecture is one of a series of lectures, started in 1908, addressed to Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends .The preface to the very first lecture explains the purpose of the series....
), A Place to Stand, Your Other Vocation and The Humor of Christ.
Trueblood's short book, The Predicament of Modern Man, received much attention near the end of World War II. People were searching for spiritual meaning and morality in the face of much suffering during World War II. Elton used the analogy that searching for morality without a foundation in religion was a futile effort, akin to trying to make cut flowers in a vase live forever. Elton wrote a shorter version of this basic thesis for Reader's Digest, which generated volumes of mail—he reportedly responded to every letter.
Trueblood's books, The Logic of Belief and Philosophy of Religion were considered some of Elton's most rigorous intellectual contributions to the field of philosophy of religion.
Trueblood's book on Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
caught the attention of Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
, who talked about it in an interview with Good Housekeeping in September 1981.
Trueblood sought to provide the general audience with a great many readable works to promote a depth of religious thought in all people. One of his final books was an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
entitled While it is Day, which traced his personal journey from his boyhood in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and placed it in the context of the history of his family long connection with Quakerism.
Friend of Presidents
Trueblood became a lifetime friend of President Herbert HooverHerbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, who was also a Quaker. They first met when Elton was the chaplain and a faculty member at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and Hoover had retired to Palo Alto, California. They lived near each other and eventually struck up a friendship that lasted for decades. When Hoover died in 1964 while Trueblood was traveling in southeast Asia, the State Department flew Trueblood back to the United States to perform the funeral service at the request of Hoover's family.
Trueblood was also friends with Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
and Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Family and retirement
He had four children (Martin, Arnold, Sam and Elizabeth) with his first wife, Pauline, who died in 1955. Trueblood was remarried in 1956 to Virginia Zuttermeister in ceremonies held at the Washington National CathedralWashington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
.
Trueblood retired from Earlham College in 1966, but lived in Richmond, Indiana for nearly the rest of his life. He continued to write books and give public speeches in retirement. Trueblood died on December 20, 1994 and his obituary was featured in The New York Times.
Further reading
- Elton Trueblood. While It Is Day: An Autobiography. Richmond, IN: Yokefellow Press, 1974.
- Newby, James R. Elton Trueblood: Believer, Teacher and Friend. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1990.
- Newby, Elizabeth, ed. A Philosopher's Way: Essays and Addresses of D. Elton Trueblood. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1978.
- Newby, James R., ed. Basic Christianity: Addresses of D. Elton Trueblood. Richmond, IN: Friends United Press, 1978.
- The Best of Elton Trueblood, An Anthology. Nashville: Impact Books, 1978.