William Speer (minister)
Rev. Dr. William Speer | |
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Photo from "History of the Presbytery of Washington (Pennsylvania)", Philadelphia (1889) p.70 | |
| Born | April 24, 1822 New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | February 16, 1904 (aged 81) Washington, Washington County, Pennsylvania, US |
William Speer (1822–1904) was an American pioneer Presbyterian missionary and author. He was initially a medical missionary to the Chinese in Canton (1847–1850), where he helped establish the first Presbytery in Canton. He was then sent to minister to the Chinese in San Francisco (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.