William May Wightman

Bishop William May Wightman (1808–1882) was an American educator and clergyman. He served as the President of Wofford College from 1853 to 1859. He served as the Chancellor of Southern University in Greensboro, Alabama (now known as Birmingham–Southern College and located in Birmingham, Alabama) from 1860 to 1866. He became a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1866.

William May Wightman
BornJanuary 29, 1808
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedFebruary 15, 1882
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
OccupationClergyman
Spouse(s)Maria Davies
Parent(s)William Wightman
Matilda Wightman

Early life

William May Wightman was born on January 29, 1808 in Charleston, South Carolina.[1][2] His father was William Wrightman. His mother, Matilda, was an immigrant who was born in Plymouth, England.[1] He had seven siblings, including the painter Thomas Wightman.[1][3] His maternal grandparents were personal friends of Methodist theologian Adam Clarke.[1]

Wightman joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, when he was sixteen years old.[2] He graduated from the College of Charleston.[1][2]

Career

Wightman became a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1827.[4] He served churches in Charleston, Orangeburg, Santee, Camden and Abbeville, South Carolina.[1]

Wightman was a fundraiser for Randolph–Macon College from 1834 to 1837.[1][2] He was Professor of English from 1837 to 1839.[1][2][4]

Wightman was appointed as the editor of the Southern Christian Advocate in 1840.[2][4] He was the author of a biography of Bishop William Theodotus Capers as well as an autobiography, both of which were published posthumously.[5]

Wightman, who was a personal friend of Benjamin Wofford, served as the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Wofford College.[1] He served as its President from 1853 to 1859.[1][2][4] He served as the Chancellor of Southern University in Greensboro, Alabama (now known as Birmingham–Southern College and located in Birmingham, Alabama) from 1860 to 1866.[2][4]

Wightman became a Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in 1866.[1][2][4]

Wrightman gave a speech at the dedication of Vanderbilt University in 1874.[6]

Personal life

Wightman married Maria Davies, a Methodist who helped fundraise for the establishment of the Scarritt Bible and Training School in Kansas City, Missouri alongside Belle Harris Bennett.[7] As a result, when the college changed its name to the Scarritt College for Christian Workers and it was relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, the Wightman Chapel designed by Henry C. Hibbs was named in her honor.[7]

Death and legacy

Wightman died February 15, 1882 in Charleston, South Carolina.[1][2]

The Wightman United Methodist Church, built in 1914 in Bowman, South Carolina, was named in his honor.[8]

His "photographic portrait", done by Elmer Talmage Clark, is in the special collections of the Bridwell Library, located at the Perkins School of Theology on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas, Texas.[9]

Bibliography
  • Life of William Capers, D.D., one of the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal church, South; including an autobiography. (Nashville, Tennessee: Publishing house of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1902).[5]

References
  1. "William May Wightman: President, 1853-1859". Wofford College. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. "William May Wrightman". The New York Times. February 16, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved November 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Estill Curtis Pennington (2012). Romantic Spirits: Nineteenth Century Paintings of the South from the Johnson Collection. Cane Ridge Publishing House. ISBN 978-0-615-56265-0.
  4. "Death of Bishop Wrightman". The Critic. Washington, D.C. February 16, 1882. p. 4. Retrieved November 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Online Books by William May Wightman (Wightman, William May, bp., 1808-1882)". Online Books Page. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  6. "The Vanderbilt. Laying of the Corner Stone of the Great University Yesterday. Interesting Ceremonies and a Large Attendance. Addressed by Bishops McTyeire and Wrightman, Gov. Brown and Chancellor Morgan". Nashville Union and American. Nashville, Tennessee. April 29, 1874. p. 8. Retrieved November 28, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Herbert, Walter I. (1928). Fifty Wonderful Years, 1878-1928. Story of Missionary Work by Methodist Women in South Carolina, Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Jubilee Committees of the two South Carolina conferences. p. 88.
  8. Smith, Linda Carter (2013). The Early History of the Communities of Bowman, South Carolina. Orangeburg, South Carolina: The Orangeburg County Historical Society. pp. 43–44. ISBN 9781304202215.
  9. "Elmer T. Clark Portraits of Methodist Bishops at Bridwell Library: William May Wightman". Southern Methodist University. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
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