Coffin, Henry Sloane

Coffin, Henry Sloane

(1877–1954) Protestant clergyman, educator; born in New York City. He graduated from Yale in 1897 and studied abroad for two years before taking a divinity degree at Union Theological Seminary in 1900. An evangelical liberal, he held Presbyterian pastorates from 1904–26. As president of Union Seminary from 1926–45 he promoted open inquiry into theological issues. He retired in 1945 but remained active as a lecturer and preacher. His Religion Yesterday and Today appeared in 1940.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.