1879–1964

Introduction

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Born: No­vem­ber 29, 1879, Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Died: Ap­ril 3, 1964, New York Ci­ty.

Buried: Com­mu­ni­ty Church of New York Uni­ta­ri­an Uni­ver­sal­ist, New York Ci­ty.

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Biography

John was the hus­band of Ma­de­leine Hos­mer Bak­er (mar­ried 1904).

He gra­du­at­ed from Har­vard Uni­ver­si­ty, Phi Be­ta Kap­pa. His grand­fa­ther, John Cum­mings Haynes, man­ag­er of the Ol­iv­er Dit­son mu­sic pub­lish­ing house, helped pay his Har­vard tu­it­ion.

Holmes was or­dained in 1904, and be­came min­is­ter of the Uni­ta­ri­an Third Con­gre­ga­tion­al Church, Dor­ches­ter, Mas­sa­chu­setts. In Feb­ru­ary 1907, he be­came jun­ior min­is­ter at the Church of the Mes­si­ah in New York Ci­ty.

He was a co-found­er of the Na­tion­al As­so­ci­ation for the Ad­vance­ment of Co­lored Peo­ple and the Am­eri­can Ci­vil Li­ber­ties Uni­on (ACLU), and served as ACLU pre­si­dent (1940–50).

Works

Sources

Lyrics

  1. All Hail the Pa­geant of the Years
  2. Almighty God, Be­neath Whose Eye
  3. America Tri­um­phant, Brave Land of Pio­neers
  4. God of the Na­tions, Near and Far
  5. God of the Search­ing Mind
  6. Now Give Heart’s On­ward Ha­bit
  7. O, Father, Thou Who Giv­est All
  8. O Fa­ther, While I Live, I Pray
  9. O God, Whose Law from Age to Age
  10. O God, Whose Love Is ov­er All
  11. O God, Whose Smile Is in the Sky
  12. O Lord of Stars and Sun­light
  13. O Thou, Whose Pre­sence Moved Be­fore
  14. O’er Con­ti­nent and Ocean
  15. Show to Us Thy Way, O God
  16. Thou God of All, Whose Spir­it Moves
  17. Thou God, Whose Liv­ing Voice Was Heard
  18. Though Man, the Fiery Ele­ment, Sink
  19. Voice of God Is Call­ing, The