More Unitarians
Alcott, Amos Bronson Burleigh, Celia C. Channing, William Henry • Cordner, John Dall, Caroline Wells Healey Furness, William Henry Harper, Frances Ellen Watkins Higginson, Thomas Wentworth Hosmer, Frederick Lucian Johnson, Samuel Judd, Sylvester Latimer, Lewis Howard Lowell, James Russell Ripley, George Savage, Minot Judson Sears, Edmund Hamilton Sullivan, William Laurence Taft, William Howard Walker, James Weiss, John Wendte, Charles William Wooley, Celia ParkerJohn Cordner
(1816-1894)
 John Cordner |
The first Unitarian minister in Canada, Cordner was born in Newry, Ireland on July 3, 1816. Educated in Ireland, he trained for the ministry under Henry Montgomery in Belfast. At that time Montgomery had received a letter from Benjamin Workman in Montreal stating that the new Unitarian congregation there was seeking a minister. On July 10, 1843 a call was extended to Cordner, after a deadlock between supporters of him and William Lord, an American, was broken. The Remonstrant Synod of Ulster ordained Cordner on September 12, and he came to Montreal to preach his first sermon on November 5. The Synod also made the congregation part of the Irish Synod as well. Cordner remained with the congregation for 35 years. Although there was significant opposition to Unitarianism within the city initially, Cordner persevered, and a new building was built and dedicated in May 1845. He received considerable financial support from the American Unitarian Association (AUA), whereby contributions to the AUA were returned to Canada for extension work. He also tried to extend the Unitarian word by publishing the Bible Christian. He was interested in social reform, and became active in public education causes, and improving conditions for the insane.
Cordner was married in October 1852 to Caroline Parkman, the sister of historian Francis Parkman, and this helped cement his ties to Boston Unitarianism. The Autumnal Convention was held in Montreal in 1854, and Cordner gave one of the major papers. At that meeting the delegates acknowledged the role of the underground railroad for its work in Canada in helping slaves to escape. Within the congregation at this time there was some concern that they were drifting away from their Irish Presbyterian origins, and becoming Americanized. In the midst of this conflict Cordner resigned, but a committee persuaded him to rescind it. Benjamin Workman was hoping to restore the Irish connection, but the church was identified now as part of the AUA. This association was also indicated by the invitation that came to Montreal to be part of the organizing meetings for the formation of the National Conference in 1865. Cordner’s theology remained virtually unchanged throughout his ministry, and was considered traditional liberal
Christian. In 1858 a new building was erected on the original site. He received an honorary degree from McGill in 1870. When his health started to deteriorate, an assistant minister, and then a colleague was appointed, but eventually Cordner had to resign. In 1878 he moved to Boston. He became involved on the building committee for the new structure that was planned
for the AUA headquarters, and was then erected in 1886 at 25 Beacon Street.
He died in Boston on June 22, 1894.
