Fallows, Samuel 1835 - 1922 | Wisconsin Historical Society

Historical Essay

Fallows, Samuel 1835 - 1922

Fallows, Samuel 1835 - 1922 | Wisconsin Historical Society

soldier, religious leader, educator, Episcopal bishop, b. Pendleton, England. He moved with his family to the U.S. and Wisconsin in 1848, settling at Bird's Ruins (now Marshall). He graduated from the Univ. of Wisconsin (1859), and had previously entered the Methodist ministry (1858). He was principal of Galesville Univ. (1859-1861). During the Civil War he served as chaplain of the 32nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (1862-1863), helped recruit the 40th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (the "God and Morality Regiment") in 1864, and served as its lieutenant colonel. He was colonel of the 49th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry (Jan.-Oct., 1865), and on Oct. 24, 1865, was brevetted brigadier general. After leaving the army, Fallows devoted the next 10 years to pastoral and educational work. He was a regent of the Univ. of Wisconsin (1866-1874), and state superintendent of public instruction (1870-1874). Leaving Wisconsin in 1874, he served one year as president of Illinois Wesleyan Univ. (Bloomington). In 1875 he abandoned Methodism to enter the Reformed Episcopal Church as rector of St. Paul's Church in Chicago. In 1876 he was elected bishop. For the remainder of his career he was identified with affairs in Chicago, and was prominent in reform and patriotic activities. He was president of the board of managers of the Illinois State Reformatory (1891-1912), and an active friend of labor. To discourage intemperance in the city, he established poor men's clubs, known as "Home Salons," which served low-alcohol content beer, or "Bishop's Beer." He was active in the G.A.R. and other patriotic organizations, was a prolific writer, and edited The Appeal, the magazine of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Dict. Amer. Biog.; A. K. Fallows, Every-body's Bishop (New York [1927D; S. Fallows Papers; WPA MS.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Samuel Fallows Papers for details.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]