Guide to the Arthur R. Clippinger Papers
Prepared by Kristen D. Turner and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivists
United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church
2/13/2002
Overview of Collection
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| Record Creator: |
Clippinger, Arthur R. |
| Title: |
Arthur R. Clippinger Papers |
| Date Span: |
1904 - 1949 |
| Abstract: |
Arthur R. Clippinger (1878-1958), Church of the United Brethren in Christ minister, missionary and bishop. The collection contains papers which document the personal and professional activities of Arthur R. Clippinger. Included in this collection are diaries, correspondence, General Conference materials, information about the first assembly of the World Council of Churches, programs, and brief biographical material. |
| Extent: |
0.64 Cubic feet |
| Resource ID:
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gcah.ms.2673 |
Biographical Note
Arthur R. Clippinger (1878-1958) was a Church of the United Brethren in Christ minister and bishop. He was a public school teacher and a Sunday School superintendent at the age of eighteen. Clippinger enrolled in Lebanon Valley College in 1900 and graduated in 1905. While he was a student he received a ministerial license and probationary membership from the Pennsylvania Conference in 1903.
As a student he served in Greencastle and New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. In 1907 he married Ellen Mills (1882-1955) and enrolled in Yale Divinity School, from which he graduated in 1910. During his studies there he served Congregational churches.
In 1910 he became pastor of Summit Street Church in Dayton, Ohio. A year later, he was ordained in that church. Under his direction, the congregation grew, and built a new church on Dayton's Euclid Avenue, and renamed Euclid Avenue Church. In 1918, the Miami Conference elected him superintendent, and in 1921 he became a bishop of the Central Area of Ohio, where he served until retiring in 1950. He was a strong force in bringing together the Evangelical Church and the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1946.
Clippinger served on nearly every board or department of the various agencies of his denomination. He was a member of the Federal Council of Churches. During World War II he served on the National Chaplains' Commission. As a bishop he visited mission fields in China, Japan, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo. He was also present at the first assembly of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam in 1948.
Scope Note
The collection contains papers which document the personal and professional activities of Arthur R. Clippinger. Included in this collection are diaries, correspondence, General Conference materials, information about the first assembly of the World Council of Churches, programs, and brief biographical material.
There are ten diaries in this collection. They are dated 1904-1935. The years 1906-1908 are missing. Entries in these diaries are only a few lines and discuss daily events, church activities, and weather conditions. Expense records are often found in the back of these books.
The correspondence in this collection is dated 1928-1946 and relates to Clippinger's professional work as a bishop, specifically the 1929 General Conference. All but a few of the letters are addressed to him.
Materials related to General Conference include two undated delegate election ballots. Clippinger's name and the number of votes he received appear on both. There is also a complete list of delegates to the General Conference, but this is undated. Other items on General Conference include a conference program from 1925, a Quadrennial Report prepared by Clippinger in 1925, the 1925 Quadrennial Report of the Board of Administration, a list of committees for the 1933 conference, and the 1933 Quadrennial Address by the Bishops.
One folder contains material on the first assembly of the World Council of Churches. This meeting was held in Amsterdam, Holland, from August 22 to September 4, 1948. Clippinger was a delegate to this assembly. Items from this meeting include a report of the delegates, and notes and personal impressions on the conference. On February 8, 1949, Clippinger presented a speech at the International Council of Religious Education in Columbus, Ohio, about the World Council of Churches meeting in Amsterdam, and this speech is included in his papers.
There are two programs in this collection. One is from the Joint Meeting of the Councils of Administration of the Central Area of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. This was held in February 1924 in Westerville, Ohio. Clippinger was the chairman of this meeting. The other program is from the Third Annual Session of the Central District Conference, a meeting held in December 1940 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Clippinger was the presiding officer of this meeting.
The remaining material consists of an undated list of delegates and alternates from the Southeast Ohio Conference of the United Brethren Church and a few biographical items. The biographical material is an obituary of Harriet R. Clippinger, Arthur's mother who died in 1917; a 1919 announcement of the birth of John Arthur Clippinger, a son of Arthur; and fraternal greetings signed by Clippinger on behalf of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.
Arrangement
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
This collection has been organized by record type. Within each record type items are arranged chronologically with dated materials following any undated materials.
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Subject Terms |
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Subject Names - Personal |
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:Clippinger, Harriet R. |
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Subject Names - Corporate |
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Church of the United Brethren in Christ. General Conference |
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World Council of Churches |
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Subject Topics |
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Episcopacy. |
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Subject Geographic |
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Netherlands. |
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Ohio |
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Genre |
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Correspondence |
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Diaries |
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Programs |
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Reports. |
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Speeches |
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Occupations |
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Bishop. |
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Minister |
| Call Number |
Folder Title |
Date(s) |
| 1079-2-3:
6 |
Diary |
1912-1916 |
| 1079-2-3:
7 |
Diary |
1917-1921 |
| 1079-2-3:
8 |
Diary |
1922-1926 |
| 1079-2-3:
9 |
Diary |
1927-1931 |
| 1079-2-3:
10 |
Diary |
1932-1935 |
| 1079-2-3:
11 |
Correspondence |
1928-1946 |
| 1079-2-3:
12 |
General Conference materials |
1925-1933 |
| 1079-2-3:
13 |
World Council of Churches |
1948-1949 |
| 1079-2-3:
14 |
Programs |
1924-1940 |
| 1079-2-3:
15 |
Southeast Ohio Conference |
undated |
| 1079-2-3:
16 |
Biographical materials |
undated |
