Mason Remey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Charles Mason Remey 15 May 1874 Burlington, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | 4 February 1974 (aged 99) |
| Education | Cornell University École des Beaux-Arts |
| Occupation | Religious leader |
| Spouse |
Gertrude Heim Klemm
(m. 1931; died 1932) |
| Father | George C. Remey |
| Relatives | William Butler Remey (uncle) Charles Mason (grandfather) |
Charles Mason Remey (15 May 1874 – 4 February 1974) was a prominent member of the early American Baháʼí community, and served in several important administrative capacities.[1] He is well-known for an attempted schism of 1960, in which he claimed leadership and was rejected by the overwhelming majority of Baháʼís,[2][3] who regard him as a Covenant-breaker.[4][5]
Remey came from a distinguished naval family of Washington, D.C., and was among the first Baháʼís of the United States.[6] He was a contemporary of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, one of the faith's three central figures, and traveled around the world as a teacher of the faith.[4] As an architect, he designed the Houses of Worship in Kampala and Sydney, both dedicated in 1961, as well as the International Archives building in Haifa.[6]
In 1951 he was appointed by Shoghi Effendi as the president of the International Baháʼí Council, and later as a Hand of the Cause.[1] When Shoghi Effendi died in 1957, Remey and the other Hands signed a declaration that he died without leaving a designated successor as Guardian. Remey was elected to serve as one of the nine custodial Hands, a body that became the interim leadership until the election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.
In 1960, Remey declared himself to be the second Guardian and expected the allegiance of the world's Baháʼís.[2][7] His claim was rejected by all the other Hands of the Cause due to his lack of scriptural authority, and he was excommunicated along with about 100 supporters, mostly from the United States.[8] Before his death, Remey's followers split into several rival factions, all of which declined over time.[a]
- ^ a b Smith 2000.
- ^ a b Momen & Smith 1989.
- ^ Johnson 2020, pp. xxxi, 39.
- ^ a b Stockman 1995.
- ^ Bjorling, Joel (1985). The Baha'i faith : a historical bibliography. New York: Garland Pub. p. 138. ISBN 0-8240-8974-X. OCLC 11813820.
- ^ a b Adamson 2009.
- ^ Remey 1960, p. 8.
- ^ Gallagher & Ashcraft 2006, p. 201.
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