William Fraser McDowell
Files
Date
June 5, 1925
Keywords
Cedarville, commencement, McDowell
Recommended Citation
"William Fraser McDowell" (1925). Commencement Speakers. 29.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/commencement_speakers/29
Biographical Sketch
William Fraser McDowell (February 4, 1858–April 26, 1937) was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1904. He was born in Millersburg, Ohio. He earned the A.B. degree in 1879 from Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio and an S.T.B. degree at Boston University in 1882. While at Ohio Wesleyan, McDowell was the founding editor of The Phi Gamma Delta magazine.
From 1882 until 1890, Rev. McDowell served these appointments as an Ordained Minister of the North Ohio Annual Conference of the M.E. Church: Lodi, Ohio (1882–83), Oberlin, Ohio (1883–85), and Tiffin, Ohio (1885–90).
He then became the Chancellor of the University of Denver, serving 1890–99. During this time he was also a member of the Colorado State Board of Charities and Corrections (1894–99).
In 1899 he became the Corresponding Secretary of the Board of Education of the M.E. Church, serving until his election to the Episcopacy. He also became a member of the International Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association.
As a Bishop, McDowell also served as President of the Religious Education Society (1905–06). He was a Yale lecturer on preaching, and was noted as a preacher to preachers.
Bishop McDowell died April 26, 1937 in Washington, D.C. and was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Delaware, Ohio.