Edwin Ferdinand Lee
Encyclopedia
Edwin Ferdinand Lee was a Missionary Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and The Methodist Church, elected in 1928.
in 1909, where he was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
fraternity
. He attended the Garrett Graduate School of Theology on the same campus, earning the B.D.
degree in 1924. Concurrently he attained the M.A.
degree at the University of Chicago
(1924).
in New Hampton, Iowa
(1908–10). He then was assigned as a Missionary
to Batavia, Java
and as the Pastor of the Wesley Church in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaya
(1910–12). Rev. Lee then was appointed Pastor of Central Methodist Church in Manila
, Philippines
(1912–15).
Following this initial overseas work, Rev. Lee was appointed again to Iowa
(Rockford
, 1915–17). He also served as a Chaplain
in the U.S. Army, A.E.F.
during World War I
.
In 1919 he became the Associate Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the M.E. Church, with offices in N.Y.C., serving in this post until 1924. He was then sent overseas again, as the Pastor of the Wesley Church of Singapore
, Straits Settlements
and as the Superintendent of the Singapore District of the M.E. Church (1924–28).
General Conference of 1928. He was assigned to the Manila Episcopal Area of the Philippine Islands Central Conference. The Manila Area included Malaysia and the Philippines
.
Bishop Lee was a delegate
to the International Missionary Conference in Madras, India
(1938). He was made a Fellow
of the Royal Geographic Society, London
. He was a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
, New York
. His great interest and involvement in the Far East
led him to membership in the American Institute of Pacific Relations, Chicago
, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations
. Bishop Lee also was appointed in 1944 the Director of the General Commission on Army
and Navy
Chaplains in Washington, D.C.
His offices were at 1137 Woodward Building in Washington.
) in 1919. He received the Cross of Mercy from Jugoslavia in 1921. He also received the (British
) King George V
Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935.
Bishop Lee was also honored with several honorary doctorates. He received a D.D. (1918) and an LL.D. (1939) from Upper Iowa University
. He was also given a D.D. degree by Garrett Graduate School of Theology in 1928. And in 1945 Northwestern University honored him with the S.T.D. degree.
Missionary Bishop (Methodist Church)
A Missionary Bishop is one assigned in the Anglican Communion to an area that is not already organized under a bishop of a church. The term was also used in the Methodist churches at one time, but this was discontinued in 1964.-Anglican churches:...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
and The Methodist Church, elected in 1928.
Birth and Family
He was born in Eldorado, Iowa, the son of Andrew and Carrie (Anderson) Lee. Edwin married Edna Dorman 8 June 1909.Education
Lee earned the B.S. degree from Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1909, where he was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. He attended the Garrett Graduate School of Theology on the same campus, earning the B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree in 1924. Concurrently he attained the M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(1924).
Ordained, Military and Missionary Service
Rev. Lee was appointed PastorPastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in New Hampton, Iowa
New Hampton, Iowa
New Hampton is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,692 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chickasaw County.-Geography:New Hampton is located at ....
(1908–10). He then was assigned as a 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...
to Batavia, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and as the Pastor of the Wesley Church in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
(1910–12). Rev. Lee then was appointed Pastor of Central Methodist Church in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(1912–15).
Following this initial overseas work, Rev. Lee was appointed again to 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...
(Rockford
Rockford, Iowa
Rockford is a city in Floyd County, Iowa, United States, at the confluence of the Shell Rock and Winnebago Rivers. The population was 907 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Rockford's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 43.052833, -92.949203...
, 1915–17). He also served 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...
in the U.S. Army, A.E.F.
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
In 1919 he became the Associate Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the M.E. Church, with offices in N.Y.C., serving in this post until 1924. He was then sent overseas again, as the Pastor of the Wesley Church of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Straits Settlements
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia.Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony on 1 April 1867...
and as the Superintendent of the Singapore District of the M.E. Church (1924–28).
Episcopal Ministry
Rev. Lee was elected a Missionary Bishop at the M.E.Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
General Conference of 1928. He was assigned to the Manila Episcopal Area of the Philippine Islands Central Conference. The Manila Area included Malaysia and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Bishop Lee was a delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to the International Missionary Conference in Madras, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(1938). He was made a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Geographic Society, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
American Academy of Political and Social Science
The American Academy of Political and Social Science was founded in 1889 to promote progress in the social sciences. Sparked by Professor Edmund J. James and drawing from members of the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Bryn Mawr College, the Academy sought to...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His great interest and involvement in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
led him to membership in the American Institute of Pacific Relations, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. Bishop Lee also was appointed in 1944 the Director of the General Commission on Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
and Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
Chaplains in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
His offices were at 1137 Woodward Building in Washington.
Honors and awards
Bishop Lee was made a Decorated Officer of the Academy, Order of University Palms (FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) in 1919. He received the Cross of Mercy from Jugoslavia in 1921. He also received the (British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935.
Bishop Lee was also honored with several honorary doctorates. He received a D.D. (1918) and an LL.D. (1939) from Upper Iowa University
Upper Iowa University
Established in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private institution of higher education with its residential campus located in northeast Iowa near the Volga River in the rural community of Fayette, where around 900 students are enrolled....
. He was also given a D.D. degree by Garrett Graduate School of Theology in 1928. And in 1945 Northwestern University honored him with the S.T.D. degree.