George Ashmore Fitch
Encyclopedia
George Ashmore Fitch was an American
Protestant missionary
in China
, the Young Men's Christian Association
, Nanking Safety Zone International Committee
Administrative Director, and the grandfather of politician
George B. Fitch
.
Fitch was born in Soochow, China, the son of Presbyterian missionaries George F. and Mary (McLellan) Fitch. He graduated from the College of Wooster, Ohio in 1906, and Union Theological Seminary
in New York with a Bachelor of Divinity
in 1909. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1909 and went to China to work with the YMCA in Shanghai
.
occurred in 1937–1938, Fitch, who was head of the YMCA there, served as director of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone. He compiled a diary and filmed some of the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army
in Nanking in December 1937.
December 24, 1937
Writing later in his autobiography
, Fitch said, "My story created a sensation in Shanghai, for it was the first news of what had happened in the capital since its evacuation, and it was copied and mimeographed and widely distributed there." In 1938 Fitch traveled throughout the United States
giving talks about the Nanking Massacre and showing films to document it.
In the documentary film Nanking
, Fitch was portrayed by actor John Getz
.
until 1947. He then served the YMCA in Korea
and Taiwan
until 1961, when he retired in the United States. He died in Claremont, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Protestant 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...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the Young Men's Christian Association
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, Nanking Safety Zone International Committee
The International Committee for Nanking Safety Zone
The International Committee was established in order to protect and reinstate the Nanking Safety Zone. Many Westerners were living in the city at that time, conducting trade or on missionary trips. Following the departing Chinese government, most foreigners also decided to leave the city. As the...
Administrative Director, and the grandfather of politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
George B. Fitch
George B. Fitch
George B. Fitch is a business consultant and Republican politician. He is the mayor of Warrenton, Virginia, and ran in the 2005 Republican primary for the governorship of Virginia, a race which he lost to Jerry Kilgore. Having long had ties to Jamaica, Fitch was one of the co-founders of the...
.
Fitch was born in Soochow, China, the son of Presbyterian missionaries George F. and Mary (McLellan) Fitch. He graduated from the College of Wooster, Ohio in 1906, and Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
in New York with a Bachelor of Divinity
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....
in 1909. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1909 and went to China to work with the YMCA in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
Nanking Massacre
When the Nanking MassacreNanking Massacre
The Nanking Massacre or Nanjing Massacre, also known as the Rape of Nanking, was a mass murder, genocide and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing , the former capital of the Republic of China, on December 13, 1937 during the Second...
occurred in 1937–1938, Fitch, who was head of the YMCA there, served as director of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone. He compiled a diary and filmed some of the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
in Nanking in December 1937.
December 24, 1937
Writing later in his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Fitch said, "My story created a sensation in Shanghai, for it was the first news of what had happened in the capital since its evacuation, and it was copied and mimeographed and widely distributed there." In 1938 Fitch traveled throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
giving talks about the Nanking Massacre and showing films to document it.
In the documentary film Nanking
Nanking (film)
Nanking is a 2007 film about the 1937 Nanking Massacre committed by the Japanese army in the former capital city Nanjing, China. The film draws on letters and diaries from the era as well as archive footage and interviews with surviving victims and perpetrators of the massacre...
, Fitch was portrayed by actor John Getz
John Getz
-Personal life:Getz, one of four children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, and grew up in the Mississippi River Valley. He began acting while attending the University of Iowa, where he helped found the Center for New Performing Arts...
.
Subsequent career
He returned to China in 1939 to serve with the YMCA and later with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation AdministrationUnited Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was an international relief agency, largely dominated by the United States but representing 44 nations. Founded in 1943, it became part of the United Nations in 1945, was especially active in 1945 and 1946, and largely shut down...
until 1947. He then served the YMCA in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
until 1961, when he retired in the United States. He died in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
.
Further reading
- Zhang, Kaiyuan, ed. Eyewitnesses to Massacre, An East Gate Book, 2001. (includes documentation of American missionaries; M.S. Bates, George Ashmore Fitch, E.H. Foster, J.G. Magee, J.H. MaCallum, W.P. Mills, L.S.C. Smyth, A.N. Steward, Minnie Vautrin and R.O. Wilson.) (Google Book version)
- biographical sketches: one from The National Cyclopedia of American Biography; one by George A. Fitch entitled "Grand Old Man of the Pacific-and of the YMCA"; a March 1949 issue of Science of Mind.
External links
- http://www.bdcconline.net/bdcc_stories/china/jiangsu/fitch_ga.html
- http://www.interq.or.jp/sheep/clarex/discovery/discoverylog03.html
- http://special.lib.umn.edu/findaid/html/ymca/yusa0012.phtml
- http://www.history.gr.jp/~nanking/nanking.html