[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17132-17133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF THE REVEREND JOHN NEWLAND MAFFITT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2012

  Mr. McINTYRE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Reverend 
John Newland Maffitt, who was appointed Chaplain of the U.S. House of 
Representatives on December 6, 1841, and sworn in on December 13, 1841.
  John Newland Maffitt was born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 28, 
1795. His parents belonged to the established church, but Maffitt 
embraced the Wesleyan doctrines in 1813 and

[[Page 17133]]

grew determined to become a minister. Upon meeting opposition at home, 
Maffitt immigrated to the United States in 1819, and in 1822 entered 
the New England conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He 
preached in various cities in the eastern United States before 
establishing ``Western Methodist'' in Nashville, Tennessee in 1833, in 
conjunction with Reverend Lewis Garrett. This church was subsequently 
transformed into the ``Christian Advocate,'' and adopted as the central 
organ of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church. Great numbers 
assembled to listen to his sermons, and many converts joined his 
congregation. He also served as an agent and professor of elocution and 
belles-lettres for La Orange College, Alabama from 1836-1837, but 
resided chiefly in the Atlantic cities.
  In 1841, Maffitt was sworn in as Chaplain of the U.S. House of 
Representatives, where he continued the tradition established by the 
Continental Congresses of each day's proceedings opening with a prayer.
  After his service to the U.S. House, Maffitt went on to edit a 
literary and religious monthly, called the ``Calvary Token,'' and 
authored reflections of his life and religious experiences including, 
Tears of Contrition, Pulpit Sketches, a volume of poems, an oratorical 
dictionary, and an autobiography.
  Reverend John Newland Maffitt died near Mobile, Alabama, on May 28, 
1850. It is noteworthy that his son, also named John Newland Maffitt, 
would become one of North Carolina's great historical figures, first as 
a Naval Surveyor, charting much of the Atlantic coastline, and then as 
a blockade runner for the Confederate Navy. I paid tribute to him in 
the House of Representatives on May 5, 2010.
  Mr. Speaker, Reverend John Newland Maffitt was a man of faith and 
duty who served the U.S. House of Representatives honorably. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing his contribution to our tradition 
of faith and service.

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