William Speer (minister)

Rev. Dr.
William Speer
Photo from "History of the Presbytery of Washington (Pennsylvania)", Philadelphia (1889) p.70
Born(1822-04-24)April 24, 1822
New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, US
DiedFebruary 16, 1904(1904-02-16) (aged 81)
Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania, US

William Speer (1822–1904) was an American pioneer Presbyterian missionary and author. He was missionary to the Chinese in Canton (1847–1850), where he helped establish the first Presbytery in Canton, and to the Chinese in California (1852–1857), where he founded the first Chinese Protestant church outside of China and became a strong advocate for the Chinese in California. Later (1865–1876) he served in Pennsylvania as the Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Education.[1][2]

  1. ^ Covert, William C. (1935). "William Speer (Apr. 24, 1822 - Feb. 15, 1904)". archive.org. The Dictionary of American Biography: Vol.17, p.442-443.
  2. ^ Forrest, Earle R. (1961). Clifford, Henry H. (ed.). Dr. William Speer: Missionary to the Chinese in China and San Francisco. Los Angeles, California: The Westerners Brand Book: Book Nine.