Richard Cordley - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Cordley
A man with a trimmed beard sits for a photograph
Richard Cordley in 1903
Born(1829-09-06)September 6, 1829
DiedJuly 11, 1904(1904-07-11) (aged 74)
Other names"The Abolition Preacher"
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (B.A.)
Andover Theological Seminary (M.A.)
University of Kansas (D.D.)
Political partyRepublican

Richard Cordley (September 6, 1829 – July 11, 1904) was an abolitionist (someone who wanted slavery to end) and a Protestant. Cordley was one of the first people to live in Lawrence, Kansas. He lived through the Lawrence Massacre and the Sack of Lawrence. He wrote about the history of Lawrence. He also wrote about the history of Kansas. He got the first degree from the University of Kansas in 1874.

Life[change | change source]

The Plymouth Congregational "Brick Church", shortly after being built, c. 1870. During this time, Cordley was the church's pastor.

Cordley was born on September 6, 1829, in Nottingham, England. When he was four years old, he moved to Livingston County, Michigan.[1] He started going to school when he was nine years old.[2] He got degrees from the University of Michigan in 1854 and Andover Theological Seminary in 1857.[1][3][4] He also got the first degree from the University of Kansas in 1874.[1][5][6]

In 1857, he became the pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence, Kansas, and continued being the pastor until 1875. From that later year until 1884, he served in Flint, Michigan, and Emporia, Kansas. Then, in 1884, he came back to Lawrence and continued being the pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church.[1]

He died on July 11, 1904.[3] He was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Lawrence.[7]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Blackmar (1912).
  2. Wilson (2004), p. 188.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Richard Cordley". Kansas Memory. Kansas Historical Society. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. University of Michigan (1902), p. 34. "Richard Cordley, A.B., A.M. '57, D.D. (Kansas) '73".
  5. McHenry, Andrew (July 23, 2010). "Religion and Politics". Emporia Gazette. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  6. Burdick (1912), p. xiii.
  7. "Rev Richard Cordley". Find a Grave. Retrieved May 3, 2018.

More reading[change | change source]

  • History of Lawrence, Kansas: from the First Settlement to the close of the Rebellion; Richard Cordley; E.F. Caldwell; 360 pages; 1895. (Download 20 MB PDF eBook)