Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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| Creator: | King, Willis J. |
| Title: | Willis J. King Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1922-1965 |
| Quantity: | 2.0 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Papers of the American clergyman, author (b. 1886). King was elected bishop of the Methodist Church in Liberia. Collection includes correspondence, incoming and outgoing (1949-1965); manuscript articles (1961-1965) and speeches (1952-1962); photographs and printed material related to the Methodist Church. |
| Language: | English, Korean, German, Swedish, Norwegian |
| Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Willis Jefferson King (1886-1976) was an African-American Methodist bishop, college professor and author.
Born in Rose Hill, Texas, on October 1, 1886, King was educated at Wiley College, Boston University School of Theology, and Harvard University. He earned his PhD in sociology from Boston University, which later awarded him an honorary doctorate, as did the University of Liberia. Wiley College eventually named its administration building for him, and his exemplary scholarship led to his selection as the black students' representative at the World's Student and Christian Federation in Peking, China, and as a Fellow of the Julius Rosenwald Fund for Research at Oxford University. He served as Professor of Old Testament Literature at Gammon Theological Seminary (1918-1930), president of Samuel Houston College (1930-1932), and president of Gammon Theological Seminary (1932-1944).
King's career in the Methodist Church began as a deacon in the Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (1908). He became an elder in 1913 and held pastorates in Texas (Greenville, St. Paul, Galveston, and Houston) and in Boston, Massachusetts. The next three decades were spent largely in academia, as described above, until the Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church elected him bishop in 1944. Bishop King presided over the Liberia Conference (1944-1956) and the New Orleans Area (1956-1960, including two conferences in Texas, two in Mississippi, and one in Louisiana. He retired in 1960 to New Orleans, where he spent his time in writing and speaking.
His awards and recognitions included the Order Star of African Redemption and the Knight Commander Order of Pioneers (Liberia), and in 1975 he was honored as the oldest living United Methodist bishop.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Willis J. King Papers consists of correspondence, subject files, manuscripts, and published material.
Correspondence contains both incoming and outgoing.
Subject files contains lectures, Methodist conferences and program material, and photographs.
Manuscripts consists of addresses for special occasions, articles on the the Bible (general articles, New Testament articles, Old Testament articles), and articles for the Upper Room disciplines, Negro Methodism, the dedication of the Methodist Mission (Gbarnga, Liberia), and reports.
Published material includes articles by and about Bishop King, and books by Bishop King and by others.
Arrangement of the Collection
Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Subject files are arranged alphabetically by topic. Manuscripts are subdivided by topic as listed above; within that, special occasion articles are arranged alphabetically by title and Bible articles are arranged chronologically. Published material is subdivided into material by King, about King, and by or about others.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
Special Collections Research Center has a number of collections relating to the church and clergy in America; please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
Genres and Forms
Occupations
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Willis J. King Papers
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Gift of Willis J. King, 1966.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: --
Date: Apr 1966
Revision history: 28 Jan 2009 - converted to EAD (MRC);
8 Nov 2024 - rehoused, inventory updated (MRC)
Inventory
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | General 1949-1965 (6 folders) | ||||||||||
| Manuscripts | |||||||||||
| Addresses, special occasions (2 folders) | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Blessing of Adversity" Conference Visitation, Leipzig, Germany 1958 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Challenge of the Present World Situation to the Christian Women of America" (2 copies) | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "A Christian Approach to the Current Racial Situation in America" Southeastern Jurisdictional Convocation Feb. 19, 1959 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "A Christian Approach to the Current Racial Situation in America" New Orleans Clericus Club March 28, 1960 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Christian Conception of Neighbor" (2 copies) | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Christian Church and the Field of Public Health" Flint Goodridge Hospital May 14, 1954 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Christian Church in a Changing World" Baccalaureate Address, Interdenominational Theological Center 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Church-Related College and Its Work in the Future" Inauguration of President J.J. Seabrook, Huston-Tillotson College Oct. 25, 1956 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Good Life - What It Is - How Achieved" Baccalaureate Address, Rennet College, N.C. 1954 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Gospel of Labor" | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "John Wesley, the Minister of Christ" A Wesley Anniversary Service in Sierra Leone 1952 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Laymen in the Early Christian Church," Laymen's Day Oct. 18, 1959 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Methodism and the Christian Witness," A Wesley Anniversary Service in Sierra Leone 1952 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Negro Methodism," African Central Conference | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Place of Religion in the Life of the Nation," Liberia University Conference 1952 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Significance of the Negro Spirituals for Religion" (2 copies) | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Some Lessons from the Life of John Frederic Oberlin, Protestant Saint," The Town and Country Convocation at Gulfside Assembly June 21-24, 1955 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Two Christian Leaders: Saul of Tarsus and John Wesley," A Wesley Anniversary Service in Sierra Leone 1952 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "What Men Live By" Convocation Oct. 18, 1912 | ||||||||||
| The Bible - "The Bible Speaks to Our Day" Series, General Articles (4 folders) | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible Speaks to Our Day" Jan. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible Speaks to Our Day" Jan. 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "How to Read. the Bible" Feb. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Teach Us to Pray" Feb. 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible in Worship" March 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Moral Law" March 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Christian Stewardship" April 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and Race" April 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Use of Alcoholic Beverages" May 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (1) July 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (2) July 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (3) Aug. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (4) Aug. 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (5) Sep. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (6) Sept. 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Christian Church" (7) Oct. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and Family Life" Oct. 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Laymen in the History of the Church" Nov. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Calendar of the Christian Year" Dec. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - Thomas and Matthew" July 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - James, the Son of Alpheus, Judas Not Iscariot, Simon the Zealot" July 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - Judas Iscariot" Aug. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - Letters to the Churches" Aug. 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - First and Second Thessalonians" Sept. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - Letter to the Galatians" Sept. 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The First Letter to the Corinthians" Oct. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The Second Letter to the Corinthians" Oct. 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The Letter to the Romans" Nov. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - Letter to the Ephesians" Nov. 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The Letter to the Philippians" Dec. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - Letters to the Colossians and Philemon" Dec. 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - First and Second Timothy, and Titus" Jan. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The Letter to the Hebrews" Jan. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The Letter of James" Feb. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - First and Second Letters of Peter" Feb. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The First, Second, and Third Letters of John" March 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Epistles - The Letter of Jude" March 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Book of Revelation - Introduction" April 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Book of Revelation - Summary and Message" April 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Members of the Christian Community Become the 'Chosen People" ' Oct. 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jesus and the Jewish-Samaritan Problem" Sept. 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jesus and the Law" Sept. 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jesus and the Jewish Hierarchy" Oct. 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Ancient Creeds and the Faith of the Church Today (The Apostles' Creed)" Jan. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Ancient Creeds and the Faith of the Church Today (The Nicene Creed)" Jan. 15, 1963 (2 copies) | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Sacraments - Baptism" Feb. 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Bible and the Sacraments - The Lord's Supper" Feb. 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Easter Festival - The Lenten Season" March 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Easter Sunday - The Day of Rejoicing" March 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| The Bible - "The Bible Speaks to Our Day" Series, New Testament Articles (1 folder) | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jesus, the Fulfillment of Prophesy" Oct. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "John. the Baptist, Herald of a New Age" Dec. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Sermon on the Mount" (1) Feb. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Sermon on the Mount" (2) Feb. 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Sermon on the Mount" (3) March 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Sermon on the Mount" (4) March 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Parables of Jesus" (1) April 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Parable of the Prodigal Son" (2) May 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Parable of the Good Samaritan" (3) May 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Parables and the New Society" (4) June 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Significance of Jesus for Our Day" June 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples and the Christian Movement" April 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - Peter the Rock" April 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - Andrew, the Resourceful" May 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - James, the Martyr" May 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - John the Beloved Disciple" June 1, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Twelve Disciples - Philip and Bartholomew" June 15, 1963 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Christian Fellowship Becomes an Institution" Dec. 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Message of the Early Christian Church - 'The Good News" Dec. 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| The Bible - "The Bible Speaks to Our Day" Series, Old Testament Articles (3 folders) | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | "David, Symbol of the Messianic King" June 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Prophets Speak to Our Day" July 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Amos, the Prophet of the Moral Law" July 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Hosea, the Prophet of Love" Aug. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Isaiah, the Prophet of the Sovereignty of God in the World" Aug. 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Micah, the Spokesman of the Ordinary Man," Sept. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jeremiah, Prophetic Exponent of Personal Religion" Sept. 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Ezekiel, the Prophet-Priest Spokesman for God" Oct. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Habakkuk, the Prophet of Faith" Oct. 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jonah, the Herald of International Goodwill" Nov. 1, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Daniel the Prophet of the Ultimate Triumph of Righteousness in the World" Nov. 15, 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Books of Psalms as a Devotional Guide" Jan. 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Message of the Book of Job" Jan. 15, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - An Introductory Word" May 1, 1962 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - Some Lessons from the Creation Story" May 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - The Story of the Fall of Man" June 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - The Story of Cain and Abel" June 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - Lessons from the Story of Noah and the Flood" July 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - The Unity and Diversity of Mankind" July 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - The Ancestral Background of 'The Chosen People' " Aug. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Genesis - Abraham, the Father of the Hebrew People" Aug. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Joshua, the Leader for a New Generation" Nov. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Isaac and Rebekah, Forerunners of the Modern Christian Family" Sept. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Jacob the Crafty One Becomes 'Israel the Chosen of God'" Sept. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Moses the Great Lawgiver" Oct. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The School of the Wilderness" Oct. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "A Great Leader (Moses) Retires" Nov. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Testing Times for the Chosen People" Dec. 1, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Samuel Called to the Leadership of Israel" Dec. 15, 1964 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Israel's Religious Leadership Fails the Nation in a Time of Crisis" April 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Prophetic Revival in Israel in the Eighth Century B. C" April 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Contribution of the Eighth Century Prophets to the Religion of Israel and To Mankind" May 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Prophets of Israel and Political Improvement" June 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Prophets and World Peace" June 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Prophets as Spiritual Guides to Israel in Times of National Calamity" July 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "A Church is Born in Captivity" July 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "Lessons from the Return of the Babylonian Exiles to the Palestinian Homeland" Aug. 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "The Priests Take Over the Leadership of the Chosen People" Aug. 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| The Bible - "The Bible Speaks to Our Day" Series, Miscellaneous | |||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Untitled] Nov. 1, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | [Untitled] Nov. 15, 1965 | ||||||||||
| Miscellaneous | |||||||||||
| Box 2 | Articles for Upper Room Disciplines 1966 | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Articles - Negro Methodism | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Dedication of Methodist Mission, Gbarnga, Liberia 1949-1956 | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Reports | ||||||||||
| Published material | |||||||||||
| Box 2 | Articles about Bishop W. King 1944-1960 | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Articles by Bishop W. King 1922-1923, 1957, 1960 (2 folders) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Booklet by Bishop W. King, "History of the Methodist Church Mission in Liberia" | ||||||||||
| Books | |||||||||||
| All books listed below have been sent to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate these items. | |||||||||||
| Christian Bases of World Order / Merrick Lectures 1963 | |||||||||||
| The Negro in American Life / Willis J. King | |||||||||||
| Personalism in Theology / Edgar S. Brightman, editor | |||||||||||
| Weltreise Gedanken / Im Furche-Verlag Zu Berlin | |||||||||||
| Box 2 | Clippings about Bishop W. King 1948-1957 | ||||||||||
| Subject files | |||||||||||
| Box 2 | Awards and Certificates 1954-1957 | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Biographical material | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Lecture Series by Bishop W. King 1961 | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Methodist Conferences and Programs 1905-1961 (2 folder) | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Photographs | ||||||||||