Henry W. Luce

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Henry W. Luce
Born
Henry Winters Luce

(1868-06-24)24 June 1868
Died7 December 1941(1941-12-07) (aged 73)
Alma materYale University
OccupationChristian Missionary
Children4, including Henry R. Luce

Henry Winters Luce (June 24, 1868– December 7, 1941) was an American missionary and educator in China. He was the father of the publisher Henry R. Luce.

Biography[edit]

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Luce graduated from Yale University in 1892. After graduation, he stayed at Union Seminary in New York for 2 years, before his seminary training at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1896.[1]

In 1897, Luce married Elizabeth Root, was ordained, and sent to China by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.[1] In total, he spent 31 years in the country with Elizabeth, where their four children were born, Henry, Emmavail, Elisabeth, and Sheldon.[2]

Luce was a professor at Cheeloo University in Jinan, China, where he led fundraising efforts and served as vice president for a short time. He also helped to initiate the Yale-in-China Association. In 1928, he accepted a professorship at the Kennedy School of Missions in Hartford, Connecticut. He held this position until his retirement in 1935.[1] He died in Haverford, Pennsylvania.[3]

Honors[edit]

Luce Memorial Chapel was named in honor of the Rev. Henry W. Luce

One of Luce's sons, Henry R. Luce, established a grant-making foundation as a tribute to his parents.[2]

Luce Memorial Chapel, designed by I.M. Pei and situated on the campus of Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan, is named after Henry W. Luce. Construction of the chapel was sponsored by Henry R. Luce.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Neely, Alan. "Henry Winters Luce (1868—1941)". Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity.
  2. ^ a b "History". The Henry Luce Foundation. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  3. ^ "Henry Winters Luce". geni.com. GENI. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

Further reading[edit]

  • Brinkley, Alan. The Publisher: Henry Luce and His American Century, (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010) 531 pp. online