John Luis Shaw 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...

 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...

, educator, and treasurer

Treasurer

A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...

. He graduated from the scientific course at 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...

) in 1893 and became dean of men at Union College

Union College (Nebraska)

Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska is a four-year coeducational college owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Midwest. It opened in 1891.T.R.M...

. In 1897 he became principal of Claremont Union College in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. In 1901 he was ordained and sent to 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...

, where he oversaw the establishment of the Watchman Press in 1903 and was in charge of the field from 1901 to 1912. He returned to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 because of poor health in 1912 and was appointed principal of the Washington Foreign Mission Seminary. From 1913 to 1915 he was secretary of 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...

 Department of Education. From 1922 to 1936 he was treasurer of the General Conference. During his retirement he served for a time as board chair of Loma Linda University

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda University is a Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences university located in Loma Linda, California, United States. The University comprises eight schools and the Faculty of Graduate Studies...

.

See also

• History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
  History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
  The 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...