Table of ContentsCollection OverviewCollection Inventory+/-Biographical Note/Historical NoteContent DescriptionCollection UseAdministrative InformationSubjects |
Collection Overview +/-
Collection Inventory +/-Biographical Note/Historical Note +/-George Bailey served as the 2nd president of Westminster College (Salt Lake City, Utah) from 1901-1905. He was born August 7, 1867 in Willington, County Durham, England in the coal regions, one of 6 children. From age 10 to 16 he worked in the coal mines. After a few years in public schools, he attended Firth University College in Sheffield, England, receiving his A.B. in 1892. He attended Ranmoor Theological School, graduating in 1892 at age 24. George met and married Matilda Sandland soon after graduation. In 1898 they moved to the United States, arriving in New York, where the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church assigned him to the minister in Broken Bow, Nebraska. While in Nebraska, the couple had three children, two sons and a daughter: George P. Bailey, later of Cleveland, Ohio; J. William Bailey, later of Erie, Pennsylvania; and Maud Bailey, later Mrs. H. Eric Schabaker of Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1898, the family moved to Salt Lake City where George Bailey was pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 1900 he was named president of Sheldon Jackson College (soon to become Westminster College). He served as the 2nd President of Westminster College from 1901-1905. The college "was then having a hard struggle for existence"(1). Bailey was promised a salary of $2,500 per year, but agreed to serve without compensation until the cash flow improved. He later resided in Washington, D.C., where his primary function was fund raising for the college. In 1902, George Bailey received a Ph.B. degree from Illinois Wesleyan. After his 5-year presidency at Westminster College, George Bailey accepted a position as pastor of the Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. where he served from 1905-1909. In 1906 he received a D.D. degree from Athens College, Ohio. Next, he served as minister at Central Presbyterian Church of Erie, Pennsylvania, where he remained until his retirement. Following retirement, the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where Bailey was confirmed and ordained as an Episcopal diaconate, and later as a priest. In 1919, Bailey was assigned to St. Philip the Apostle church in Cleveland. In 1923 he was named editor of the Episcopal publication Church Life. He was a member of the Ohio Diocesan Council of the Episcopal Church and a Mason. George Bailey died June 5, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio at the age of 59. He, his wife, and two parishioners all perished when the car he was driving was struck by a fast-moving passenger train. With gifts from his family and friends, the George Bailey Memorial Scholarship is part of the General Scholarship Fund for students attending Westminster College. Sources consulted in writing this biographical note:
Content Description +/-This collection consists of biographical information, correspondence and publications concerning Rev. George Bailey, who was president of Westminster College (Salt Lake City, Utah) from 1901-1905. This small group of records contains incoming and outgoing correspondence, an article written by Rev. Bailey, his obituary, and correspondence to and from the the college in attempts to acquire biographical information about him. The collection is organized into three subject categories (Biographical, Correspondence, and Writings). The biographical file includes Rev. Bailey's obituary from Church Life, a publication of the Cleveland, Ohio Episcopalian community. It was written as a memorial upon the deaths of Rev. George Bailey and his wife in a fatal car accident in 1926. Bailey's daughter, Maud B. Schabacker, provided the article to the college when biographical information was requested. The letters written by Rev. Bailey relate to college operations. One discusses the value of college property including property owned in Washington, D.C. Another, addressed to Colonel William Montague Ferry, requested a donation of $2,500 towards building a dorm and class building on the Salt Lake City property of Westminster College. A third letter written prior to Rev. Bailey's selection as college president is addressed to Rev. George W. Martin, requesting a meeting. Reverend Martin was a Presbyterian missionary in Manti, Utah and then a member of the organizing committee creating Westminster College. One letter, written by Rev. Bailey to the Board of Trustees, concerns the will of Mrs. Mary J. Gunton Temple, who wished to further missionary work in Utah by donating funds to the college for the erection of a chapel, in memory of her father. This letter was presented to the Board of Trustees with three other supporting letters. One was written by Sheldon Jackson, the original founder of Westminster College, and heavily involved in college fund raising. His letter states that the legalities of the will had been worked out and suggests how to proceed with the erection of the chapel and how to best manage it. Another letter was written to Bailey by John Eaton, the first and only president of Sheldon Jackson College, which later became Westminster College; in the letter he offers his help and advice. The third and last attached letter came from J.J. Darlington who appears to be an attorney involved with the Temple will. It clarifies the terms of the bequest and who the chapel would be named after. Other letters document later attempts by the college to obtain information relating to the life of Rev. Bailey. Some of the letters were written at the bequest of Westminster College President Herbert W. Reherd. They included the correspondence between President Reherd's secretary, Mrs. Daisy N. Godfrey, and George Bailey's daughter, Mrs. Maud B. Schabacker. The article, "Is Mormonism a Present-Day Menace?" was written by Rev. Bailey and published in the Presbyterian Examiner in November 1912, six years after he resigned as president of Westminster College. It discusses the great problems of Christian missionary efforts in Utah. It gives a brief history of how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church) was founded, and then describes its "false" teachings. The article also lists ways to solve the "problem" most effectively. There is another copy of this article, republished as an undated pamphlet, Mormonism and How to Meet It. Collection Use +/-Restrictions on Access: Open to public research. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law. Twenty-four hours advance notice is encouraged. Restrictions on Use: It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material must be obtained from the director of the Giovale Library. Preferred Citation: George Bailey Westminster College President's subject files, 1899-1969 (bulk 1899-1904), ACC-011, Giovale Library Archives, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Administrative Information +/-Arrangement: Arranged alphabetically into three subject categories, thereunder chronologically within each folder. Processing Note: Processed March 2003 by Nikki Blair. Creator: Bailey, George, 1867-1926 Language: Collection materials are in English. Quantity: 0.2 linear feet Language of the Finding Aid: English. Author of the Finding Aid: Finding aid written March 2003 by Nikki Blair; expanded April 2011 to include biographical note written by Sarah Shaw. EAD Creation Date: 2011 April 27 by Sarah Shaw Standard: Describing Archives : A Content Standard (DACS) Subarea: ArchivesRelated Material: Related collections and photographs in Giovale Library Archives:
Related photographs and biographies of General John Eaton, president of Sheldon Jackson College, can be found on these websites (viewed March 20, 2017): Subjects +/-Corporate Names: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Subject Terms: College presidents--Utah--Salt Lake City--Archives Form or Genre Terms: Articles Personal Names: Bailey, George, 1867-1926--Archives Geographical Names: Salt Lake City (Utah)--History--Sources |
