Frederick Booth-Tucker
Encyclopedia
Commissioner
Frederick St. George de Lautour Booth-Tucker, (21 March 1853 – 17 July 1929) was a senior Salvation Army
officer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the son in law of General
William Booth
, the Army's Founder.
in India
, the son of William Thornhill Tucker, a Deputy Commissioner in the Indian Civil Service, 'Fred' Tucker was five years old when the Indian Mutiny
broke out. He was educated at Cheltenham College
from 1866 until 1873, leaving when he was 20 years old. During his time at the college he was known as a keen scholar and athlete. He joined the Indian Civil Service as an Assistant Commissioner in 1874, being posted to Amritsar
, Simla
and later to Dharamsala
, where in addition to being Assistant Commissioner he was also Assistant Magistrate. In 1875 he was converted during the Moody
and Sankey
campaigns in London. He married Louisa Mary Bode, eighteen years his senior, in 1877 at Amritsar
in India, she having travelled out from her home on the Isle of Wight
to join him.
in 1881 while on leave in England from the Indian Civil Service and came to work in the Army's legal department at International Headquarters in London. He was posted to the Camberwell
Corps in July 1882. On 19 September 1882 Major Tucker arrived in Bombay accompanied by three officers intending to spread the teachings of The Salvation Army in India. Although thousands attended the meetings, most of Tucker's early converts were already Christians.
Tucker saw the Indian caste system
as his main obstacle, and so he decided to work among India's sixty million outcasts. He and his fellow Salvationists adopted the way of life of the outcasts. Their Salvation Army uniforms were replaced with the saffron robes of the Indian fakir
, and they assumed Indian names, Tucker being known as "Fakir Singh", meaning the "Lion of God".
Tucker's preaching of equality and salvation proved popular with the members of outcast society, many of whom were converted. Following this success in India, Tucker was promoted to the rank of Commissioner. His first wife, Louisa Tucker, died in India on 27 February 1887 during a cholera epidemic, and on 10 April 1888 he married Emma Booth
, the daughter of William
and Catherine Booth
at Clapton Congress Hall. As was the usual practice in the Booth family at that time, Tucker added his wife's maiden name
to his own, becoming Booth-Tucker. The couple had nine children, Frederick Kristodas, Catherine Motee, Lucy Mina, Herbert, John and Muriel; three others, William, Evangeline and Tancred Bramwell died in infancy.Frederick Kristodas Booth-Tucker (15 April 1892-25 July 1945) died in Los Angeles
where he owned Six Wheels, Inc.http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=clginvb&id=I06793 (Families of Lancaster, Philadelphia & York County, PA on 'Rootsweb').
Their daughter Catherine Motee became a Salvation Army officer in 1913 from Simla
, in India, where the Booth-Tucker family had lived. She married Major Hugh Sladen in 1916, and in 1921 the couple were Divisional Commanders for Newport.
Muriel Booth-Tucker was born on 17 May 1903, the youngest child of Frederick Booth-Tucker and his second wife, Emma Moss Booth, and granddaughter of the founder William Booth. She was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in 1925, and after appointments in Britain (1925-1935), served in India (1935-1938), Australia (1938-1950), International Training College (1950-1952), Territorial Commander, Madras and Telegu, India (1952-1957), Officer Commanding, Ireland (1958-1960), Territorial Commander, Belgium (1960-1963). She retired from active service on 17 May 1963, and lived until 13 March 1995.
His new wife also became ill during the time of their stay in India and so in 1891 the Booth-Tuckers returned to International Headquarters in London as joint Commissioners for Foreign Affairs. In 1896 they were appointed joint Territorial Commanders of the United States following the defection of Emma's brother Ballington Booth
. Emma Booth-Tucker was given the title 'The Consul' by her father. However, in October 1903 Emma Booth-Tucker was killed in a train crash while travelling to meet her husband in Chicago
.
Frederick Booth-Tucker continued the work in America alone until 1904, when he returned to International Headquarters as Foreign Secretary. In June 1906, Booth-Tucker married for the third time, to Colonel Minnie Reid, daughter of a one-time Acting Governor of Bombay. Posted to India in 1907 as the Salvation Army's Special Commissioner for India and Ceylon, he and his new wife started work among India's criminal tribes in 1908, work they were involved in until 1919, when they returned to England owing to his poor health.
(First Class) by the Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge
, in recognition of the many years of service he had given to the poor of India. In 1919, suffering from ill-health, Booth-Tucker returned to England, but his relationship with his former brother-in-law General Bramwell Booth
had cooled over the years and he was never again appointed to a senior command.
In 1920, Frederick Booth-Tucker was admitted to the Order of the Founder
, The Salvation Army
's highest accolade. He retired from active service in 1924, but with his wife continued to lead many spiritual campaigns during the 1920s in Britain and Europe and National Congresses in the Baltic States and Finland.
He wrote a number of poems and songs, and while in the United States compiled a collection of One Hundred Favourite Songs of The Salvation Army (1899). In 1893 he became the first editor of The Officer magazine, and wrote several books, including a Life of Catherine Booth (1892); The Consul (1903), and Muktifauj (1923), the story of the first forty years of The Salvation Army in India and Ceylon.
Frederick Booth-Tucker died (or was 'Promoted to Glory
') of angina pectoris on 17 July 1929, and, like many prominent Salvationists, was buried in Abney Park Cemetery
.
Commissioner in The Salvation Army
The rank of Commissioner in The Salvation Army is the second highest rank attainable by Officers in the organisation, and the highest 'appointed' rank, as the rank of General is by election...
Frederick St. George de Lautour Booth-Tucker, (21 March 1853 – 17 July 1929) was a senior Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
officer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the son in law of General
Generals of The Salvation Army
thumbnail|left|1st General, William BoothGeneral is the title of the international leader of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers .Usage of the term General began with the Founder of The Salvation...
William Booth
William Booth
William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...
, the Army's Founder.
Early life
Born in MonghyrMunger
Munger town is the headquarters of Munger district, in the Indian state of Bihar. Historically, Munger is known for its manufacturing of iron articles such as firearms and swords. One of the major institutions in Munger is Bihar School of Yoga. It is one of the foremost learning center in the...
in 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...
, the son of William Thornhill Tucker, a Deputy Commissioner in the Indian Civil Service, 'Fred' Tucker was five years old when the Indian Mutiny
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
broke out. He was educated at Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
from 1866 until 1873, leaving when he was 20 years old. During his time at the college he was known as a keen scholar and athlete. He joined the Indian Civil Service as an Assistant Commissioner in 1874, being posted to Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
and later to Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
, where in addition to being Assistant Commissioner he was also Assistant Magistrate. In 1875 he was converted during the Moody
Dwight L. Moody
Dwight Lyman Moody , also known as D.L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts , the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers.-Early life:Dwight Moody was born in Northfield, Massachusetts to a large...
and Sankey
Ira D. Sankey
Ira D. Sankey , known as The Sweet Singer of Methodism, was an American gospel singer and composer, associated with evangelist Dwight L...
campaigns in London. He married Louisa Mary Bode, eighteen years his senior, in 1877 at Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
in India, she having travelled out from her home on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
to join him.
The Salvation Army
Against the wishes of his wife and parents, Tucker joined The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
in 1881 while on leave in England from the Indian Civil Service and came to work in the Army's legal department at International Headquarters in London. He was posted to the Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
Corps in July 1882. On 19 September 1882 Major Tucker arrived in Bombay accompanied by three officers intending to spread the teachings of The Salvation Army in India. Although thousands attended the meetings, most of Tucker's early converts were already Christians.
Tucker saw the Indian caste system
Caste system in India
The Indian caste system is a system of social stratification and social restriction in India in which communities are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups called Jātis....
as his main obstacle, and so he decided to work among India's sixty million outcasts. He and his fellow Salvationists adopted the way of life of the outcasts. Their Salvation Army uniforms were replaced with the saffron robes of the Indian fakir
Fakir
The fakir or faqir ; ) Derived from faqr is a Muslim Sufi ascetic in Middle East and South Asia. The Faqirs were wandering Dervishes teaching Islam and living on alms....
, and they assumed Indian names, Tucker being known as "Fakir Singh", meaning the "Lion of God".
Tucker's preaching of equality and salvation proved popular with the members of outcast society, many of whom were converted. Following this success in India, Tucker was promoted to the rank of Commissioner. His first wife, Louisa Tucker, died in India on 27 February 1887 during a cholera epidemic, and on 10 April 1888 he married Emma Booth
Emma Booth (The Salvation Army)
Emma Moss Booth known as 'The Consul', was the fourth child and second daughter of Catherine and William Booth, the Founder of The Salvation Army....
, the daughter of William
William Booth
William Booth was a British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army and became its first General...
and Catherine Booth
Catherine Booth
Catherine Booth was the wife of the founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth. Because of her influence in the formation of The Salvation Army she was known as the 'Army Mother'....
at Clapton Congress Hall. As was the usual practice in the Booth family at that time, Tucker added his wife's maiden name
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
to his own, becoming Booth-Tucker. The couple had nine children, Frederick Kristodas, Catherine Motee, Lucy Mina, Herbert, John and Muriel; three others, William, Evangeline and Tancred Bramwell died in infancy.Frederick Kristodas Booth-Tucker (15 April 1892-25 July 1945) died in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where he owned Six Wheels, Inc.http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=clginvb&id=I06793 (Families of Lancaster, Philadelphia & York County, PA on 'Rootsweb').
Their daughter Catherine Motee became a Salvation Army officer in 1913 from Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, in India, where the Booth-Tucker family had lived. She married Major Hugh Sladen in 1916, and in 1921 the couple were Divisional Commanders for Newport.
Muriel Booth-Tucker was born on 17 May 1903, the youngest child of Frederick Booth-Tucker and his second wife, Emma Moss Booth, and granddaughter of the founder William Booth. She was commissioned as a Salvation Army officer in 1925, and after appointments in Britain (1925-1935), served in India (1935-1938), Australia (1938-1950), International Training College (1950-1952), Territorial Commander, Madras and Telegu, India (1952-1957), Officer Commanding, Ireland (1958-1960), Territorial Commander, Belgium (1960-1963). She retired from active service on 17 May 1963, and lived until 13 March 1995.
His new wife also became ill during the time of their stay in India and so in 1891 the Booth-Tuckers returned to International Headquarters in London as joint Commissioners for Foreign Affairs. In 1896 they were appointed joint Territorial Commanders of the United States following the defection of Emma's brother Ballington Booth
Ballington Booth
Ballington Booth was an Officer in The Salvation Army and a co-founder of Volunteers of America.Born in Brighouse, England, Ballington Booth was the second child of William and Catherine Booth, founders of The Salvation Army in 1878...
. Emma Booth-Tucker was given the title 'The Consul' by her father. However, in October 1903 Emma Booth-Tucker was killed in a train crash while travelling to meet her husband in 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...
.
Frederick Booth-Tucker continued the work in America alone until 1904, when he returned to International Headquarters as Foreign Secretary. In June 1906, Booth-Tucker married for the third time, to Colonel Minnie Reid, daughter of a one-time Acting Governor of Bombay. Posted to India in 1907 as the Salvation Army's Special Commissioner for India and Ceylon, he and his new wife started work among India's criminal tribes in 1908, work they were involved in until 1919, when they returned to England owing to his poor health.
Later years
In 1913, Frederick Booth-Tucker was invested with the gold medal of the Kaiser-i-HindKaiser-i-Hind
The Kaisar-i-Hind was a medal awarded by the British monarch between 1900 and 1947, to civilians of any nationality who rendered distinguished service in the advancement of the interests of the British Raj....
(First Class) by the Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916.-Background and education:...
, in recognition of the many years of service he had given to the poor of India. In 1919, suffering from ill-health, Booth-Tucker returned to England, but his relationship with his former brother-in-law General Bramwell Booth
Bramwell Booth
Bramwell Booth, CH was the first Chief of Staff and the second General of The Salvation Army , succeeding his father, William Booth.-Biography:...
had cooled over the years and he was never again appointed to a senior command.
In 1920, Frederick Booth-Tucker was admitted to the Order of the Founder
Order of the Founder
In 1917, five years after the death of the founder of the Salvation Army William Booth, his son, General Bramwell Booth, inaugurated the Order of the Founder to recognise Salvationists who had rendered distinguished service, such as would have specially commended itself to the Founder. The first...
, The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
's highest accolade. He retired from active service in 1924, but with his wife continued to lead many spiritual campaigns during the 1920s in Britain and Europe and National Congresses in the Baltic States and Finland.
He wrote a number of poems and songs, and while in the United States compiled a collection of One Hundred Favourite Songs of The Salvation Army (1899). In 1893 he became the first editor of The Officer magazine, and wrote several books, including a Life of Catherine Booth (1892); The Consul (1903), and Muktifauj (1923), the story of the first forty years of The Salvation Army in India and Ceylon.
Frederick Booth-Tucker died (or was 'Promoted to Glory
Promoted to Glory
Promoted to Glory is a term used by The Salvation Army to describe the death of a Salvationist.Earliest printed usage of the term seems to be in late 1882 in The War Cry, which included death announcements in the December 14 issue, with headlines such as 'Promotion of Sister Muxlow from Earth to...
') of angina pectoris on 17 July 1929, and, like many prominent Salvationists, was buried in Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park in Stoke Newington, in the London Borough of Hackney, is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney and Dr. Isaac Watts, and the neighbouring Hartopp family. In 1840 it became a non-denominational garden cemetery, semi-public park arboretum, and...
.
Further reading
- American Lithographic Co. Commander Booth Tucker in Charge U.S. Forces of the Salvation Army 1896-1904 (1904)
- Gould, Jean A month with Booth-Tucker (1970)
- Mackenzie, Frederick Arthur Booth-Tucker, sadhu and saint (1930)
- Noland, Doris Booth Tucker and the Fringle (2000)
- Northcott, Cecil; et al True stories of real people : Abraham Lincoln, Sister Eva, Frederick Booth-Tucker, Ruatoka, John Eliot, Thomas Coke (1950)
- Williams, Dr. Harry; Williams, George Booth-Tucker, William Booth's First Gentleman (1980) (some sources incorrectly list the author as Harry William)
- Unknown, Life links in the Warfare of Commissioner and Mrs. Booth-Tucker (1888)
- Unknown [Missionary biographies] (1918, 1920)
- Unsworth, Madge Bridging the Gap; Frederick Booth-Tucker of India (New York, Friendship Press, 1945)