Ellet J. Waggoner
Encyclopedia
E.[llet] J.[oseph] Waggoner (January 12, 1855 – May 28, 1916) was a Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
particularly known for his impact on the theology of the church, along with friend and associate Alonzo T. Jones
Alonzo T. Jones
A.[lonzo] T.[révier] Jones was a Seventh-day Adventist known for his impact on the theology of the church, along with friend and associate Ellet J. Waggoner.- Biography :...
.
Biography
Waggoner was born in BarabooBaraboo, Wisconsin
Baraboo is the largest city in, and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It is situated on the Baraboo River. Its 2010 population was 12,048 according to the US Census Bureau...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
on January 12, 1855, to Joseph Harvey and Maryetta Hall Waggoner. He was the sixth of ten children.
His father had joined the Advent group in 1852, which would later become the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Soon thereafter he became a leading preacher and writer, and remained active until his death in 1889. He was on the committee that adopted the official name, Seventh-day Adventist that is still in use today.
Ellet Waggoner attended Battle Creek College (now Andrews University
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
) and later graduated as a physician from Bellevue Medical College in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. For some time he served on the staff of Battle Creek Sanitarium
Battle Creek Sanitarium
The Battle Creek Sanitarium, in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States, first opened on September 5, 1866, as the Western Health Reform Institute, based on the health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1876, John Harvey Kellogg became the superintendent, and his brother, W....
. During this time, he married Jessie Moser, whom he had met at Battle Creek College. Jessie and Waggoner had two daughters, Bessie and Pearl. They moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
about 1880, where he served as manager of the St. Helena Hospital
St. Helena Hospital
St. Helena Hospital is operated by Adventist Health, a group of 17 hospitals in the western United States, and is located in the Napa Valley, California, between the town of St. Helena, and the community of Angwin, which is home to Pacific Union College. St. Helena Hospital was established in 1878...
in Saint Helena
St. Helena, California
St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. It is part of the northern San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census....
, California.
In October 1882, Waggoner had a remarkable experience while attending a camp
meeting at Healdsburg
Healdsburg, California
Healdsburg is a city located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 11,254...
, California. The experience forever changed his approach to spiritual matters. Upon the occasion of his death, a letter was found that had not been posted yet to his old friend, M. C. Wilcox. In this letter he repeated the account of his remarkable experience in 1882.
In 1883, Waggoner stopped practicing medicine and became the assistant editor for the Signs of the Times — an official paper presenting the stands and views of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His father, J. H. Waggoner was then the editor.
He met Alonzo T. Jones in 1884. In 1886 Ellet Waggoner and his friend Jones became joint editors of the Signs of the Times. Waggoner held this post until 1891. The magazine carried numerous articles from his pen during the five crucial years preceding the historic 1888 Minneapolis General Conference
1888 Minneapolis General Conference
The 1888 Minneapolis General Conference Session was a meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in October of 1888. It is regarded as a landmark event in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Key participants were Alonzo T. Jones, Ellet J....
.
In 1888 Waggoner gave a memorable series of sermons on righteousness by faith at the General Conference
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, where it moved in 1989...
session held in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. This General Conference Session was the most written about and historic of any in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The events surrounding and topics presented at that session continue to be debated and studied.
In 1892 Waggoner went to England
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...
where he became the editor of The Present Truth magazine. He remained there for ten years, working with W. W. Prescott
W. W. Prescott
William Warren Prescott was an influential administrator, educator, and scholar in the early Seventh-day Adventist Church.- Biography :Prescott's parents were part of the Millerite movement.W. W...
in the training school in England, and continuing in his writing and studies on Christ and His righteousness.
Upon his return to the United States, he joined the faculty of Emmanuel Missionary College (now Andrews University
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1874 as Battle Creek College in Battle Creek, Michigan, it was the first higher education facility started by Seventh-day Adventists, and is the flagship university of the Seventh-day...
). Because of a divorce and his subsequent remarriage, he separated from denominational employment. He spent the last years of his life employed by the Battle Creek Sanitarium.
Waggoner died at home in Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
on Friday, May 28, 1916. He had been visiting with his daughter Pearl and her husband, Adventist pastor Elder Ellis Howard who were visiting on their way to the mission field. After retiring, he had a stroke in his sleep.
Publications
Some of his most significant writings include- The Glad Tidings (1900)
- The Everlasting Covenant (1896)
- The Gospel in Creation (1895)
- The Gospel in Galatians (1887)
- Waggoner on Romans (1896)
- Sermons on Romans (1891)
- Christ and His Righteousness (1889)
Also:
- Prophetic Lights (DjVuDjVuDjVu is a computer file format designed primarily to store scanned documents, especially those containing a combination of text, line drawings, and photographs. It uses technologies such as image layer separation of text and background/images, progressive loading, arithmetic coding, and lossy...
format)
See also
- Alonzo T. JonesAlonzo T. JonesA.[lonzo] T.[révier] Jones was a Seventh-day Adventist known for his impact on the theology of the church, along with friend and associate Ellet J. Waggoner.- Biography :...
- 1888 Minneapolis General Conference1888 Minneapolis General ConferenceThe 1888 Minneapolis General Conference Session was a meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in October of 1888. It is regarded as a landmark event in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Key participants were Alonzo T. Jones, Ellet J....
- History of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchHistory of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White, Joseph...