First Governing Body

[Guest Nicole]

[The Librarian]

Thanks for sharing Nicole. 

At that point in time there was only Pastor Russell as the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" and the term Governing Body would not apply although I have seen this photo titled that way in other places.

They were simply directors of a corporation. (Some would argue that in practical terms they were a "Governing Body" although ALL spiritual direction came through Pastor Russell at the time.

Read more about the history of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses here:

@JW Insider might have more details to add to my simple explanation above.

[JW Insider]

On 6/15/2016 at 4:23 PM, The Librarian said:

@JW Insider might have more details to add to my simple explanation above

Thanks. But rather than add details to the history of the how the term "governing body" has been used through the years among "Russellite" Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses, I'd like to add some information about this picture.

CORRECTION TO THE "CAPTION"

This is not the "governing body." The "governing body" in 1911, when the picture was taken, would have included the following, who are mentioned in the October 1, 1911 Watchtower that year (and none of them except Russell are in the picture):

The following officers were elected to serve during the ensuing year [1911-1912]: President, Pastor C. T. Russell, of Brooklyn and London; Vice-President, A. I. Ritchie, of Ontario, Canada; Secretary, E. W. Brenneisen, of Texas; Treasurer, W. E. Van Amburgh.

The picture is in the "Library of Congress" collection, and was taken in 1911 (perhaps even 1912) as the "Missions Investigating Committee" who would travel the world on a cruise with C. T. Russell. A highlight of that tour was to include a visit to the Great Pyramid at Giza. Originally the idea was to include the persons mentioned in this quote from the same Watch Tower of October 1, 1911:

Following this Pastor Russell will go on a world's tour and a committee has been selected to accompany him on his journey. The persons invited to serve on this committee are Major-General W. P. Hall, U.S.A.; Mr. E. W. V. Kuehn, of Toledo; Mr. J. T. D. Pyles, of Washington, D.C., and Mr. Charles F. Anderson, of Baltimore, Md. Not all of these gentlemen have positively accepted the responsibilities of this service, but it is confidently expected that they will accept. As the Association pays no salaries, the invitation carries with it the responsibility of all providing for their own expenses.

Evidently, Charles Anderson did not go, but the April 15, 1912 report from the committee includes the following names (also quoted on page 87 of Watson's Magazine June 1914).

In conclusion, your Committee assure you that they have done their very best to accomplish the purpose of their appointment. They thank the Lord, and also the Association, for the great privileges enjoyed in connection with the service.

C. T. RUSSELL, Pres.

Adj.-Gen'l W. P. HALL

F. H. ROBISON, Sec'y

J. T. D. PYLES

E. W. V. KUEHN

R. B. MAXWELL

DR. LESLIE W. JONES

 

If you replace F.H.Robison with Professor F. B. Thompson, this list is the same as the people in the picture. A "Dr. Thompson" had provided reports from the "Holy Land" that had been printed earlier in the Watchtower from a trip several years before.  I believe it is also the same "Thompson" who also joined Russell on another trip to the "Holy Land" from when he was living in Australia, and who stayed on as a colporteur in Jerusalem. As late as 1910, he was still mentioned in the Watchtower as doing this work in Australia. (It also might be worth looking into to see whether the picture really shows F. H. Robison, but is mislabeled as F. B. Thompson, who had perhaps joined them on only a portion of the trip but wasn't available for the picture.)

Here are some more complete versions of their names: Ernest Wilson V. Kuehn, General William Preble Hall, Robert B. Maxwell, J.T.D. Pyles, Dr. Leslie W. Jones, and Professor F. B. Thompson.

Here is a picture of General Hall with his medals:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/William_Preble_Hall.jpg/330px-William_Preble_Hall.jpg

 

A Watch Tower article mentioned his talk at an assembly without his medals:

September 1 was the opening day. General W. P. Hall, U.S.A., gave the opening address, which was quite pithy and to the point, as might have been expected from our famous Philippine warrior. Stripped of his epaulets and honor medals the General looked every inch a preacher. It is said that his Philippine experiences had considerable to do with bringing General Hall into the ranks of Bible Students. His glimpse of heathendom convinced him that the world needs the Kingdom of God's Son, in power and great glory, to accomplish among men things which no human arm or human tongue can bring to pass.

 

J. T. D. Pyles owned stores in Washington D.C. They are advertised in the Washington Herald in January 1917, for example as "all the stores of J T D Pyles."  I assume they were food stores, because he lost a case against the Attorney General in D.C. for selling adulterated lard. In 1916, after Russell died, he wrote an article that was printed in the Watchtower:

 

BY J.T.D. PYLES--WASHINGTON, D.C.

In the city of Washington, whence I came, there are many sad hearts today, on account of the loss sustained in the death of our Beloved Pastor. . . . I have known Brother Russell intimately for twenty years. He has many times been a guest at my home, and I have also been a guest at his home. I was privileged to be associated with him for four months in a tour around the world;

One would not likely be wrong if they get the general impression that the names listed for the trip (and those assigned to the funeral arrangements) were financially well-to-do. The names of Kuehn, Jones and Pyles show up again for the funeral arrangement committee for C. T. Russell in 1916.

 

On a personal note, Dr. Leslie Jones was a friend of my great-grandfather and a friend of the family for a few years. He also handled stenography when traveling with Russell and Rutherford -- even Sister Rutherford, too, on additional occasions. (My great-grandfather joined Russell on the speaking circuit out of the Bible Students' "Chicago Temple." He didn't die until the 1960's but I was too young to ask him the kinds of questions I would ask today.)

[JW Insider]

On 6/15/2016 at 4:33 PM, Queen Esther said:

I copied alot old theocratic things too !

Thanks for posting.

Just did a little more research on this picture and found information on line that seems to be true:

Standing left to right: Ernest Wilson V. Kuehn; Dr. Leslie W. Jones; Gen. William P. Hall; Professor Frederick H. Robison; Robert B. Maxwell; J. T. D. Pyles.  The three men without "titles" were all wealthy merchants.  Kuehn was a seed company owner from Toledo, who was the country's foremost expert on clover.  Maxwell was a well-to-do mercantile storeowner and bank boardmember from Mansfield, Ohio.  Pyles was the Washington D.C. owner of one of the largest chain of grocery stores the country.  Interestingly, Maxwell died only a few weeks after returning from the World Tour . . .

Kuehn, Jones, and Robison eventually disassociated themselves from the Watch Tower Society after Russell's death. However, to the best of my knowledge, when William Preble Hall died in 1927, he was still loyal to the Watch Tower Society. . . . 

General William Preble Hall was not only a career officer in the United States Military, but in fact, during the time Hall was an active member of the Watch Tower Society, Hall held the rank of Brigadier General, plus he served as ASSISTANT ADJUTANT GENERAL at military headquarters in Washington D.C.  In fact, while General Hall was on the Watch Tower World Tour, his boss General Ainsworth took early retirement, and General Hall was appointed to run the U. S. Military as its ADJUTANT GENERAL until Hall's own scheduled retirement in June 1912.

 

William Preble Hall was one of the more prominent figures in the United States Military between the time of the American Civil War and World War I.  Hall came from a prominent Missouri family.  Hall's father was a respected Judge, and Hall's brother later became a U.S. Congressman.  Hall, a widower, re-married the daughter of  U.S. Senator Blackburn from Kentucky on November 12, 1890. Therese Blackburn Stewart Hall (also her second marriage) was extremely active in Washington social circles. Wedding attendees included a General, an Admiral, a Supreme Court Justice. Grover Cleveland sent a gift.

 

Hall fought against Choshise and other Apache renegades -- losing both soldiers and local settlers in several actions.  In the 1870s and 1880s, Hall served with the 5th Calvary in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, etc.  Along the way, William Preble Hall distinguished himself as an administrator and manager, and he was assigned Quartermaster duties.  Hall's superiors praised his ability to move men and materials faster than any other Army officer.  When Buffalo Bill Cody killed Cheyenne Chief Yellow Hand in 1876, Hall was in charge of the supply wagon train which Yellow Hand and his band had been stalking.  Buffalo Bill ambushed Yellow Hand just as he was attempting to ambush two of Hall's couriers.  Hall thereafter served as Quartermaster at Fort Laramie for several years in the late 1870s and 1880s.  In July 1881, Hall's first wife, who was living with him at Fort Laramie, died of unknown cause. Kate Conrad Stanton Hall was from a prominent Connecticut family, and her remains were returned there for burial. In the early 1890s, Captain William Preble Hall was assigned the duty of removing the Cherokees from parts of the Oklahoma territory.

 

And much more, of course. The source of this is easily found, but not friendly to Witnesses, so I won't provide the direct link.

[Evacuated]

Wonderful and interesting @JW Insider