Jesse Lee (Methodist): Difference between revisions

|death_date = {{death date and age|1816|9|12|1758|3|12}}

'''Jesse Lee''' (March 12, 1758 &nbsp;– September 12, 1816) was an [[United States|American]] [[Methodism|Methodist]] Episcopal [[clergy]]man and pioneer, born in [[Prince George County, Virginia|Prince George's County]], [[Virginia]] . A preacher after 1783, in 1789 he visited [[New England]] and established [[Methodism]] from the [[Connecticut River]] to the farthest settlement in [[Maine]]. He formed the first Methodist class in New England, at [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]], [[Connecticut]], September 26, 1787. He preached his first sermon (outdoors) on June 7<ref name="north">{{cite web|url=http://numc.axelhouse.com/history.html|title=History: North United Methodist Church, Manchester, Connecticut, USA|accessdate=2008-02-13}}</ref> or 17,<ref name="chi">{{cite web|url=http://chi.gospelcom.net/DAILYF/2002/06/daily-06-17-2002.shtml|title=June 17: Jesse Lee; Christian History Institute|accessdateaccess-date=2008-02-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20060216064610/http://chi.gospelcom.net/DAILYF/2002/06/daily-06-17-2002.shtml|archive-date=2006-02-16}}</ref> 1789 in [[Norwalk, Connecticut]]. He held the first Methodist class in [[Boston, Massachusetts]] on July 13, 1792. For his pioneer work in New England he was often called the Apostle of Methodism.<ref name="meredith">{{cite book|title=Jesse Lee, A Methodist Apostle|url=https://archive.org/details/jesseleemethodis00mere|author=Meredith, William Henry|year=1909|publisher=New York, Eaton & Mains; Cincinnati, Jennings & Graham|location=New York}}</ref> He was a friend of [[Francis Asbury]], and served as his assistant from 1797 to 1800.<ref name="encyc"/> He lacked only one vote of being elected [[Bishop]] by the General Conference of 1800, but was appointed to be a presiding elder of the south district of Virginia in 1801.<ref name="encyc">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lee-Jess.html|title=Jesse Lee - FREE Jesse Lee Biography|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref> He wrote ''A Short Account of the Life and Death of the Rev. John Lee'' (1805) and a ''History of Methodism in America'' (1807), which has value for the early period. On May 22, 1809, Lee was appointed [[Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives|Chaplain]] of the [[United States House of Representatives]]<ref name="house">{{cite web|url=http://chaplain.house.gov/chaplaincy/history.html|title=History of the Chaplaincy, Office of the Chaplain|accessdate=2008-09-14}}</ref> He was reappointed on November 2, 1812, and served for two sessions.<ref name="house"/> Upon leaving the chaplaincy of the House he was appointed [[Chaplain of the United States Senate|Chaplain]] of the [[United States Senate]] on September 27, 1814, where he served until December 1815.<ref name="senate">{{cite web|url=httphttps://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Senate_Chaplain.htm|title=U.S. Senate: Art &amp; History Home &gt; People &gt; Officers &amp; Staff &gt; Senate Chaplain|accessdate=2008-08-14}}</ref>

== Speech at Norwalk ==

[[FileImage:Jesse Lee monument, NorwalkJesseLeeMarker.jpg|thumb|upright|240px|Stone marker at the intersection of [[U.S. Route 1|RouteNorth 1Avenue]] and [[Connecticut Route 123|RouteMain 123Street]] in [[Norwalk, Connecticut]].]]

In June 1789, Lee, came to Norwalk to preach his first sermon in Connecticut. He had some reason to believe that the [[Hezekiah Rogers]] house on Cross Street would be available for the meeting, and word had been sent around among those interested to assemble there. When Lee arrived, Hezekiah was not at home, and his wife hesitated to open the house to a public meeting. A neighbor refused to let Lee use her orchard for concern that the gathering would trample down the grass. Finally, Lee assembled his audience under an apple tree by the roadside and preached his sermon from the text "Ye must be born again." Such was the beginning of Methodism in Norwalk. Today, there is a stone marker at the location.<ref>[httphttps://booksarchive.google.comorg/books?pg=PA296&lpg=PA296&dqdetails/norwalkaftertwoh01weed/page/296 <!-- quote=hezekiah+ rogers+ norwalk&sig=. -QsEAcHd4zIw2J2Nnn0QeOK_6F8&ei=7nNLUY_WHo7c8ATP9oHoDA&id=J-NDAAAAYAAJ&ots=8V2Wx0LGQr&output=text>]</ref><ref>[httphttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TD8pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PWYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4838%2C4452177 Historical Sermons]</ref>

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090611005643/http://www.gbgm-umc.org/jesselee-eastonct/jessetxt.htm Jesse Lee United Methodist Church in Easton, CT established 1789]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071224064953/http://www.gcah.org/Heritage_Landmarks/Cox.htm Cox Memorial United Methodist Church in Hallowell, ME mentions preaching by Jesse Lee in town on October 13, 1793]

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010813122256/http://www.acs.ak.org/about/history.htm The Jesse Lee homes in Alaska were Methodist run orphanages started in 1890 as a tribute to Jess Lee]

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{{succession box |title=[[Chaplain of the United States Senate]] |before=[[John Brackenridge, D.D.]] |after=[[John Glendy]] |years=September 27, 1814 – December 8, 1815 <!-- <ref name=senchap>{{cite web |url=httphttps://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Senate_Chaplain.htm |title=Senate Chaplain |work=www.senate.gov |publisher=United States Senate |accessdate=January 14, 2010}}</ref> --> }}