[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5016-5017]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE HONORING BISHOP DANIEL ALEXANDER PAYNE

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                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 1, 2011

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a legendary 
theological educator who helped found the Wilberforce University and 
was a driving force in bringing the African Methodist Episcopal Church 
to the South. The 200th anniversary of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne's 
birth is being celebrated on April 1, 2011, by the Seventh Episcopal 
District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. I join with them in 
commemorating the remarkable life of this South Carolina native who was 
an instrumental figure in the education and development of a uniquely 
African-American church in communities of color.
  Daniel Alexander Payne was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on 
February 24, 1811. He was born free, and was of African, European, and 
Native American descent. He had a thirst for knowledge and was educated 
by the Minor's Moralist Society school when he was eight and nine. He 
also received instruction for three years from a private tutor. Because 
there was a lack of quality schools for black students, he continued to 
educate himself at home in mathematics, physical science, and classical 
languages.
  In 1829, when he was just 18 years old, Daniel Payne opened his own 
school in Charleston to teach black children how to read and write. Six 
years later, the South Carolina General Assembly out of fear of a slave 
revolt passed legislation that restricted the rights of people of color 
and slaves. Among those laws was a prohibition on teaching free blacks 
and slaves to be literate. The penalty carried fines and imprisonment. 
This forced Daniel Payne to close his school, and he ultimately chose 
to leave South Carolina.
  In 1835, he traveled to Philadelphia where he enrolled in the 
Lutheran Theological Seminary. He was unable to finish his studies due 
to failing eyesight, and did not complete his ordination. In 1842, he 
joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church, because he believed that 
a strong black denomination could play a significant role in combating 
slavery and racism. He worked within the church to improve the 
education of ministers, so they would have a broad base of knowledge 
that would help them more effectively lead their congregations.
  He was still passionate about teaching, opening a new school in 1840 
for the education of young blacks. By 1845, he established an AME 
seminary to help teach his philosophy about ministers' educational 
pursuits. While the seminary didn't last long, his stature in the 
church led him to new opportunities.
  In 1848, Daniel Payne was named as the historiographer of the AME 
Church. That was followed in 1852 by his election and consecration as 
the sixth bishop of the AME denomination. Just four years later, he 
joined with two other AMEs and 18 white representatives of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in founding Wilberforce University in Ohio. 
Bishop Payne was selected as its first president, which also earned him 
the designation as the first African-American college president in 
America. He led the college from 1856 until 1877. In 1871, the board of 
trustees honored Bishop Payne by establishing a free-standing AME 
seminary at Wilberforce University that bears his name.
  During his tenure at Wilberforce University, Bishop Payne made his 
first return to his hometown in more than 30 years. In 1865, he helped 
establish the AME denomination in Charleston, which then spread quickly 
among the African-American community in the South. He also authored two 
books before his death in 1893. In 1888, he published a memoir entitled 
Recollections of Seventy Years. Three years later he wrote The History 
of the A. M. E. Church, which was the first comprehensive account of 
the founding of the AME denomination.
  Daniel Payne married in 1847, but his wife died during childbirth in 
their first year of marriage. He married again in 1854 to Eliza Clark 
of Cincinnati.
  During the 2010 Founder's Week at Payne Theological Seminary, a year-
long 200th anniversary celebration of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne's 
birth was launched. As part of the commemoration, there is a five-city 
tour that is stopping in cities that impacted Bishop Payne's life.

[[Page 5017]]

  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
the life and contributions of Bishop Daniel Alexander Payne as the 
commemorative tour stops in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. 
Bishop Payne was a visionary leader who understood the importance of 
education and faith as an empowering force in the African-American 
community. His remarkable legacy lives on in the AME Church and in the 
generations of students who have attended Wilberforce University.

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