David Nelson | |
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| Born | September 24, 1793 Jonesborough, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | October 17, 1844 (aged 51) Quincy, Illinois, U.S. |
| Education | Washington College, Tennessee College of Physicians of Philadelphia |
| Organization(s) | Presbyterian Church Marion College American Anti-Slavery Society Mission Institute Underground Railroad |
| Known for | Founder of two colleges Fugitive in Marion County Lyrics to "The Shining Shore" The Cause and Cure of Infidelity Mentor to Elijah Lovejoy |
| Spouse | Amanda Frances Deaderick (m. 1822) |
| Children | Survived by 11 children |
David Nelson (September 24, 1793 – October 17, 1844) was an American Presbyterian minister, physician, and antislavery activist who founded Marion College and served as its first president. Marion College, a Protestant manual labor college, was the first institution of higher learning chartered in the state of Missouri. Born in Tennessee, Dr. Nelson had once been a slaveholder but became an "incandescent" abolitionist after hearing a speech by Theodore D. Weld. Unpopular with proslavery groups in northeastern Missouri, Nelson stepped down as president of Marion College in 1835. In 1836, Nelson fled Missouri for Quincy, Illinois, after slaveowner Dr. John Bosely was stabbed at one of his sermons. Nelson then remained in Quincy, where he founded the Mission Institute to educate young missionaries. Openly abolitionist, two Mission Institute sites became well known stations on the Underground Railroad, helping African Americans escape to Canada to be free from slavery.
Nelson was the author of The Cause and Cure of Infidelity, which includes an account of his conversion to Christianity. He also wrote the lyrics to "The Shining Shore," a popular hymn by composer George Frederick Root. Nelson is said to have written the poem while he was a fugitive in Marion County, Missouri, looking across the Mississippi River toward Quincy, Illinois.