Edward Sandford finds his true calling

Great grandfather Edward Thomas Sandford served as United States Consul to CheeFoo China for more than three years, beginning March, 1865. In the Spring of 1868, Edward was granted a leave-of-absence from the post due to the bad health of his wife, Sarah. He officially notified William Seward of his plans in a letter dated May 21, 1868.

This may have been the same illness that nearly prevented Edward from accepting the Consul post in the first place, back in 1865. Sarah’s health was an issue throughout their married life.

Edward remained in China at least through May, 1868. On May 21 he wrote two more letters to Seward from CheeFoo explaining that Mr. Holmes had assumed responsibility for the post, and tying up loose ends.

Edward subsequently returned home to Warren, Maine. On March 29, 1869 he requested an extension of his leave-of-absence. His final resignation letter, reiterating his need to attend to his wife’s ill health, was written in Warren, Maine and dated July 31, 1869.

William Seward resigned his post as Secretary of State at the end of the term of President Andrew Johnson, who failed to be renominated by the Democratic Party in 1868. The new President, Republican Ulysses Grant, had no interest in retaining anything from the Johnson administration, including Seward (even though Seward endorsed Grant’s candidacy). Thus, Edward Sandford’s letter of resignation was addressed to his new boss, Grant’s Secretary of State Hamilton Fish, a former Governor of New York. (There was one other Secretary of State between Seward and Fish–Elihu Washburne held the post for 11 days in March 1869–if there were correspondence between Sandford and Washburne, it would be a true collector’s item.)

It seems likely that Sarah’s illness was not the only reason for Edward’s decision to resign his post. Recall that we saw hints of Edward’s restlessness in his letter to Seward after the U.S.S. General Sherman incident, in which he openly criticized some of his peers in the diplomatic missions in the orient. The letter also expressed his admiration for ministers who had performed missionary work in China, case in point his references to Dr. McGowan.

Our grandfather Joseph Sandford summarized his understanding of his father’s desire to leave his diplomatic post and enter the Baptist Ministry succinctly as follows:

He enjoyed this Service (the diplomatic service) and became very interested in the Chinese people deciding to become a Missionary upon completion of this Duty.

Crozer Theological Seminary of Upland, Pa. was his school.

Joe Sandford, from his 1966 talk about his father, delivered to the First Baptist Church, Corona, CA

Upland Pennsylvania is 10 miles southwest of Philadelphia, next to Chester. The seminary served as an American Baptist Church school, training seminarians for entry into the Baptist ministry from 1869 to 1970. Edward attended in 1869 and 1870, so must have been one of the the Seminary’s first students. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a student at Crozer from 1948 to 1951, earning his Bachelor of Divinity degree there.

Edward must have started his studies at the Seminary in the Fall semester, a month or so after sending his resignation to the Secretary of state. So he must already have had confirmed plans when he sent the letter.

A Crozer alumni catalog, published in 1918, documents Edward’s attendance at the seminary.

It is not clear how Edward managed two years’ attendance at a school that was probably two days’ travel from his home in Warren, Maine. It was two more years away from home, following a year away in the Civil War and more than three years in China, away from a wife in ill-health–it must have been a difficult commitment for Edward and Sarah to agree on.

The 1870 Census documents Edward and Sarah living in Warren, with Edward (now 29 years old) listed as a “Theological Student”.

Edward was 30 years old when he graduated from Crozer. He would remain a Baptist Minister for the rest of his life, having already distinguished himself as a sailor, war hero, and international diplomat. He had found his calling, but his life was still just getting started, with many accomplishments and travels ahead of him.