BEEBE, James A. (1879-1934)

BEEBE

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 12/7/2018 at 21:20:04

Rev. James A. Beebe
(December 8, 1878 – May 7, 1934)

[Copied from the Alleghany College website, at https://sites.allegheny.edu/about/history/presidents/james-albert-beebe/]
Born in Mound Valley, Kansas, on December 8, 1878, Beebe received his early educa¬tion in Harlan, Iowa. In 1897 he entered Simp¬son College in Indianola, Iowa, but left during the Spanish-American War to serve as a first sergeant with the 51st Iowa Infantry in occupation of the Philippine Islands. He was thus the first Allegheny College president per¬son¬ally to have experienced active military service. After his discharge, Beebe returned to Simpson, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree and Phi Beta Kappa key in 1903. The same year he was or¬dained into the Methodist Epis¬copal min¬istry. He held his first pas¬tor¬ate in Des Moines until 1906, when he moved to attend the Boston University School of The¬ology. While studying for his Bachelor of Sacred Theology de¬gree, received in 1909, he held min-isterial posts in Newport, New Hampshire, and then in Man¬chester, from 1908 to 1909. For six years, beginning in 1909, Reverend Beebe ministered to a large con¬gregation at the Engle¬wood Church in Chicago. His reputa¬tion as a person, scholar, and speaker led to his appointment in 1915 as pres¬ident of the Iliff School of Theol¬ogy in Denver, Colorado. Five years later he was called by the Bos¬ton School of Theology to become its dean. While there, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Allegheny College and published a well-received book on The Pastoral Office.
Beebe was chosen president of Allegheny in February 1926 and took over duties from Acting President C. F. Ross on April 6. His integrity and trans¬parent sincerity won friends. Former president William Crawford later referred to Beebe as “the man everybody loves.” A lengthy nervous disorder forced Beebe to resign at the close of the 1929–30 academic year. Beebe died in Newtonville, Massachusetts, on May 7, 1934.

[compiled from family information on Ancestry.com, Familysearch.org, and Find A Grave]
James A. Beebe was the son of Joseph E. Beebe & Mary Jane Stotts. James married Laura E. John (1879-1952) on May 26, 1905 in Harlan, Shelby County, Iowa. They were the parents of: James Merten Beebe, Norman R. Beebe, Margaret Beebe, Laura Jane Beebe, and Robert Johnson Beebe. Both James A. and Laura E. Beebe are buried in Harlan Cemetery, Shelby County, Iowa, as well as James’ parents, Joseph and Mary Beebe. [compiled from family information on Ancestry.com, Familysearch.org, and Find A Grave.