Judge Lawrence G. Brooks

This pamphlet is taken from an address delivered at the annual meeting of the Unitarian Historical Society, May 24, 1959. Frederick May Eliot was born September 15, 1889 and died February 17, 1958. After being ordained Eliot spent two years as an assistant at the Cambridge Unitarian Church, after that he served as minister in St. Paul, Minnesota for twenty years. He loved the parish and the parishioners loved him, but when he was asked to head the Commission of Appraisal he accepted because, "{t}he denomination appeared to be existing on a glorious past..." which he felt was "...a certain prelude to decline." Largely due to his fine work as chairman of this committee, he was asked to be president of the American Unitarian Association. He accepted and during his twenty year tenure adult membership increased by 75%. Church school membership almost tripled.

During his presidency of the A. U. A. Eliot weathered much controversy, including questions regarding "support" for some communists. It seems his greatest fight was for liberal religion. As the author wrote, "This involved his battling sometimes with the right wing, sometimes with the left, and occasionally with both at once." The bottom line is that he was a man, who gave generously of himself.… (meer)