Washington Gladden

Washington Gladden. . , As an early advocate of social justice, the Rev. Dr. Washington Gladden led local and national causes for civil rights, workers' rights, voting rights, religious pluralism, school integration, and the needs of the poor and the oppressed., The park is dedicated to the memory of Rev. Dr. Washington Gladden, a Columbus community leader with a national following including U.S. presidents. He spent his life advocating for social and religious reform, and became known as the Father of the "Social Gospel Movement" in the early 1900's., In his early years, Gladden was a minister and a journalist in New York City. He was the editor of the New York Independent and helped to expose the corruption of Tammany Hall and to bring down the notorious "Boss" Tweed., As a faith leader, Gladden claimed that building a dutiful relationship with one's creator was a beginning, not an end. Each individual was to put his or her faith to work to bring about change in the human condition. He was the Minister of the First Congregational Church of Columbus, Ohio from 1882 to 1918., He helped found local settlement houses, civic organizations, and inter-faith councils. On the national level he served as President of the American Missionary Association supporting higher education and voting rights for African Americans., Locally, he joined Rev. James Poindexter of Second Baptist Church in convincing the Columbus Public Schools to adopt a school integration model. Gladden advocated for municipal government reform and was a member of city council from 1900-1902., Gladden supported the development of labor unions and mediated strikes in Ohio. He challenged monopolies and helped found the American Economic Association to seek a balance between the interests of labor and corporations., Gladden wrote numerous poems, articles, and forty books in his effort to modernize Christian thought and promote social justice. His poetry was often woven into hymns (O Master Let Me Walk With Thee).