John Hurst

John Hurst, thirty-sixth bishop of the A. M. E. Church, the son of Thomas and Sylvanie Hurst, was born May 10, 1863, at Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He was one of five children of his parents, who were both members of the A. M. E. Church. He began attending school when six years of age and spent about sixteen years in school, attending chiefly the combined primary and grammar, high school, Lycee National, Port-au-Prince, and Wilberforce University. He is a graduate of the Lycee National and Wilberforce University, having received the degree B.D. from Wilberforce in 1886. He was converted in 1877 and joined the A. M. E. Church the same year. He was licensed to preach in 1883 at Wilberforce, O., by Bishop B. F. Lee; was ordained deacon in 1886 at Baltimore, Md., by Bishop Wayman, and ordained elder in 1887 at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, by Bishop Campbell. He joined the annual conference in 1882 at Baltimore, Md., under Bishop Payne, and had the following appointments: St. Paul’s A. M. E. Church, 1886-89; Superintendent of Missions in Haiti; Crowdensville Circuit, Md.; Baltimore Conference, 1893-1894; Waters A. M. E., Baltimore, Md., 1894-1898; Bethel, Baltimore, 1898-1903; Waters, 1903-1908; St. John’s, 1908. He built Gaines Chapel, Md., at a cost of $1,200, in 1893; Home for Aged, at Baltimore, at a cost of $12,000, in 1902. He reduced the mortgage on Waters from $24,000 to $14,000. He has taken about 645 people into the church, baptized about 280 and married about 300. He has been delegate to all general conferences from 1892 to 1916; was a member of the financial board, 1901 to 1908, and financial secretary, 1908 to 1912; was recording secretary of the financial board, 1904-1908; delegate to Ecumenical Conference, 1901, London, Eng., and Ecumenical Conference, 1911, at Toronto, Canada; secretary of Bishops’ Council; member of Commission on Federation of Methodism; member of Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America. He was elected financial secretary of A. M. E. Church, 1908, and bishop, 1912, and assigned to the eleventh Episcopal district, embracing the State of Florida. Upon the death of Bishop Derrick he was given the supervision of the West Indian field and of British and Dutch Guiana. He organized the A. M. E. Church in Jamaica, receiving 9 congregations with 1100 members and property valued at $10,000. The general conference of 1916 reassigned him to Florida.

He married Mrs. K. Bertha Hurst, of Abbeville, S. C., in 1890. Their son, Benoni Price Hurst, age 23, is a graduate of Amherst College and also of the Medical Department, Harvard University. He has contributed to many periodicals. He made an address at the Anniversary of the Bible Society, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and before the Literary Society, Wilberforce University. He is a member of the F. and A. M., Epsilon Boule, Sigma Pi Phi. He is independent in politics. He was secretary of the Haitian Legation, Washington, D. C., 1889-92. He was president North Eastern Board, Federated Charities, Baltimore, Md., for twelve years. He is associated with National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Academy  Social and Political Science, and National Kindergarten Association.