Simmons, George Frederick

Simmons, George Frederick, a Unitarian minister, was born in Boston, Mass., in 1814. He was prepared for college at the Latin school in that city, entered Harvard University in 1828, and graduated in 1832. On leaving college he became private tutor in the family of David Sears, Longwood, Me. The next year he accompanied his family to Europe, and returning in July, 1835, entered the divinity school at Cambridge, where he completed his course in 1838. He was ordained evangelist, Oct. 9, 1838, and went immediately to Mobile and commenced his ministry. He only remained there until 1840, being obliged to fly because of his protest against slavery. In April, 1841, he began to preach regularly at Waltham, Mass., and was installed as minister in that town in November following. In the spring of 1843, having resigned his charge, he repaired to the University of Berlin to still further study theology. He returned in October, 1845, and preached in several pulpits, till February, 1848, when he became pastor of the Unitarian Church, Springfield, lately vacated by Dr. Peabody. He was dismissed from this church because of his sympathy with George Thompson, the English abolition lecturer, and retired to Concord, Mass. In November, 1853, he began to supply a church in Albany, N.Y., and was installed as its pastor, January, 1854. He died of hasty consumption, Sept. 5, 1855. The following is a list of his publications: Who was Jesus Christ? (1839): — The Trinity; its Scripture, Formalism, etc.: — a Lecture (Springfield, 1849): — Sermons (1840, 1851, 1854): — A Letter to the So called Boston Churches (1846). A volume of his sermons was printed in 1855. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, 8, 554.