Button Menu

Prof. Richard Smith '45 Authors Bishop McIlvaine, Slavery, Britain & the Civil War

Prof. Richard Smith '45 Authors Bishop McIlvaine, Slavery, Britain & the Civil War

April 19, 2015

Richard W. Smith, professor emeritus of history at Ohio Wesleyan University and 1945 graduate of DePauw University, is the author of Bishop McIlvaine, Slavery, Britain & the Civil War.

A synopsis notes, "Bishop Charles P. McIlvaine was an important figure in nineteenth century America. As one of the leading evangelicals in the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Ohioan became the pivotal figure in the evangelical Episcopal-Anglican community. Famed as a preacher and speaker, his books and pamphlets were read by trans-Atlantic audience. His endeavors in the United Kingdom resulted in honorary degrees from Cambridge University and Oxford University. Aware of his reputation in England, the Lincoln Administration sent him to Britain in 1861. Working with Thurlow Weed, he sought to swing middle and upper class opinion into a pro-federal position. After six months abroad, his persuasive leadership induced the Federal Episcopal Convention to support the union war effort, which included Lincoln's emancipation policy."

"After encountering numerous scholarly works mentioning McIlvaine, I decided to look further into his life," says Dr. Smith. "McIlvaine’s stature in Great Britain facilitated his endeavors to gain British support for the Union cause. A detailed analysis of his labors and failure in mid-Victorian society has not been available."

Professor Smith majored in history at DePauw and earned advanced degrees from Harvard University and Ohio State University. He served on the OWU faculty from 1950 to 1986.

Learn more about the book at Amazon.com and read more here.

Back