Harry Emerson Fosdick Papers, 1900 -- 1997

Harry Emerson Fosdick was born in Buffalo, New York on May 24, 1878, the son of Frank and Amy Weaver Fosdick. Both Fosdick's father and grandfather were educators in the Buffalo school system, his grandfather serving as superintendent of education for the city. His family was Baptist, and Harry Fosdick took to religion early, choosing on his own to be baptized when he was seven. The family moved around in the western New York area during his early years, but settled in Buffalo for good by the time Fosdick was in his teens. He graduated from Central High School in 1896, and moved from there to Colgate University, where he earned an A.B. in 1900. Fosdick decided at an early age on a career in religion, at first planning to be a missionary. He spent a year studying at Colgate Divinity School, and then transferred to Union Theological Seminary, earning a B.D. in 1904. He wrote his thesis at Union on "The Significance of Christ's Death in Christian Thought," and it served as an indication of Fosdick's continuous mission to understand the roots of Christianity. At some point during his college years Fosdick shifted his interests from mission work to the ministry, and his time at Union introduced him to the problems and challenges of big-city ministry. He spent some time while a student, working among poorer people in the Bowery and other run-down neighborhoods. While at Union, he decided to become a preaching rather than a teaching minister which suited his accomplished speaking skills, which had been honed while at Colgate.

Yet Fosdick's association with Union did not end with his graduation; within four years, he was back at UTS as an Instructor of Homiletics and eventually Jessup Professor of Practical Theology. Fosdick held the full professorship until 1934, when his other commitments forced him to step back to an associate professorship, a post he held until 1946. He made a great impact on his students, offering useful if pointed advice on all aspects of preaching. His work for the Seminary continued beyond the classroom, particularly in the area of fundraising, where his connections to men like John D. Rockefeller, Jr. helped draw needed contributions to Union. While the atmosphere at Union during the 1930's particularly was sometimes strained by faculty divisions, Fosdick managed to maintain cordial relationships with virtually every member of the teaching staff. His tenure at Union did not draw the adoration or the pure love of students as some of his colleagues did (mainly because of the many other commitments drawing on his time), but he was appreciated and respected by all. What drew Fosdick's attention away from Union was the focus of his life, his pastoral work at several New York area churches. He began his career at First Baptist Church of Montclair, New Jersey, a post he held for eleven years. In 1918, in a move that could have become controversial sooner than it did, Fosdick was selected to be assistant pastor and chief preacher at First Presbyterian Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. That Fosdick was a Baptist was grounds for trouble in itself; but it was his liberal beliefs that proved to be the battleground. In the early years of his pastorate, however, the situation seemed to work out well. Huge crowds packed First Presbyterian on Sundays to hear Fosdick preach, and the church managed major outreach programs for the needy. Yet the storm of controversy over Fosdick's liberal beliefs was brewing throughout his career. Conservative elements had been questioning his orthodoxy since his days in Montclair, and the explosion came in 1922 when he preached a sermon entitled "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?", in which he argued for liberal interpretations of the Bible and the acceptance of varying points of view. The conservatives pounced upon the sermon and attacked Fosdick as a heretic and denier of the faith. Others jumped in to defend Fosdick, and the controversy spread into a general war over the direction of Christianity. As the fight continued, it became clear that Fosdick's association with First Presbyterian was doomed, and thus he stepped down as pastor in 1924.

Fosdick was not, however, without career options. As early as 1922, he had been pursued by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to take the pastorship of Park Avenue Baptist Church. When the situation at First Presbyterian finally collapsed, Fosdick was clear to take the position at Park Avenue. The deal worked out between Fosdick and the church (largely at Rockefeller's instigation) was that the church would continue at its present location and with its Baptist affiliation until a suitable site could be found in Morningside Heights, at which point the church would move and become non-denominational to allow all to worship without the repetition of the sorts of problems that Fosdick had faced previously. The agreement between maligned preacher and maligned capitalist led to the creation of the Riverside Church on the bluff overlooking the Hudson River, and commanding a view of all of New York City, parts of New Jersey, and Long Island as well on a clear day. The gothic structure was built from the proceeds of the sale of the Park Avenue building, donations from others and, of course, from a major donation from John D. Rockefeller Jr. himself. The congregation spent a good deal of time worshipping in Temple Beth-El (which had been replaced by the new Temple Emanu-El) thanks to the generosity of the former occupants, until the new building was ready in 1931. Riverside was not without its critics - never minding the preacher and the financier, many felt the building was a monstrosity. Nevertheless, the church had room for 2,500, and drew 4,000 on its dedication day, with 4,000 more turned away. Fosdick's work at Riverside brought him to the attention of a national audience, as people flocked to hear him preach. The church continued, like his other posts, to serve the community around it - classes, charity work, and public services were all provided by Riverside. Yet Fosdick's place on the national stage was cemented not in person, but over the airways and through the written word. Fosdick preached over the radio constantly from the 1920's until his retirement, and his weekly "National Vespers" program brought his preaching into houses across the country. He wrote incessantly and barely a week went by when a Fosdick article was missing from national magazines. He published close to fifty books, many of them translated into foreign languages. Moreover, thousands of people wrote him seeking advice, information, or thanking him for his influence. He answered virtually every letter, permitted almost every request to republish his work, and solved as many problems as he could. Fosdick retired from Riverside church in 1946, at the same time that he left his teaching post at Union Theological Seminary. He continued, however, to serve as pastor emeritus, speaking on occasion and offering advice to his replacement, Robert McCracken.

Fosdick's life outside his professional capacity was busy and controversial as well. He traveled widely, to Palestine, Japan, China, England, and Scotland. His trip to Palestine and the book that came out of it created troubles in the Jewish world for Fosdick's anti-Zionist stance. While not anti-Semitic, Fosdick felt the creation of an exclusively Jewish state was counterproductive, and this stance drew heavy criticism. Fosdick's service with the YMCA in Europe during World War I had turned him from an ardent supporter of the war into an equally ardent pacifist, and his stances against war drew criticism equal to his other controversial positions. Fosdick's liberal views and defense of civil liberties brought the occasional accusation of communist or socialist sympathies, but never bought the same attention from the right as his Union colleague Harry Ward. He never apologized for his views, and even in his eighties he took a strong anti-war position as the United States got more deeply involved in Southeast Asia. Fosdick's personal life was as full and varied as his professional life. He married Florence Allen Whitney in 1904, whom he had met while a student at Colgate. Florence Fosdick was involved in numerous projects, including serving as a member of the National Board of the YWCA. The two were married for sixty years, and had two daughters. The eldest, Elinor, became a doctor and worked around the world. The younger daughter, Dorothy, earned a law degree and worked on various government projects, including the creation of the United Nations. Fosdick's younger brother Raymond was president of the Rockefeller foundation for many years, and one of John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s few close friends. The Fosdicks were outdoorsmen in many ways, and spent much of their time at their summer home on Boothbay Island in Maine, near the Rockefeller home in what is today Acadia National Park. Fosdick spent his retirement reading, doing some additional writing, and maintaining his interest in the events of the day. Florence Fosdick died in 1964, and her husband followed in 1969 at the age of 91.