Aubrey Franklin Hess (December 8, 1874 – October 27, 1935) was a progressive American theologian and educator. Born on a mountaintop farm in Virginia, Hess without formal theological training was ordained in the Methodist Protestant church in 1896 and immediately served two small congregations in West Virginia. Later, after completing his formal theological and university education, Hess served as president of the Methodist Protestant institutions of West Lafayette College, Ohio and Adrian College, Michigan.
After leaving Adrian College in 1917 Hess returned to church pastoral duties ministering to Methodist Protestant, Congregational and Unitarian-Universalist churches.
Hess made nationwide news in 1927 when he changed the traditional wedding vow of “until death us do part” to “as long as this union shall last.” Hess believed in the separation of state and church. Although his church granted divine sanction for a civil ceremony, state law retained provisions for marriage annulment regardless of the words used in the wedding ceremony. Hess also dropped the use of the word “obey” from the wedding service. Rather, he solicited a promise given freely to provide, protect and keep pure and unspotted. Hess concluded his reasoning saying, “I would not under any circumstances perform a ceremony where these conditions were not agreed to. I never ask if they will ‘obey.’ What's the use?”[1]