Bio – Weir, John (Wier)

Born: April 28, 1852 (Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Died: August 15, 1923

Education: A.M., D.D.

  • Early training in Private Schools
  • Studied in six leading colleges and universities, receiving the highest Academic Degrees,  in America and Europe including:
    • Albion College
    • Toronto University
    • Drew Theological Seminary
    • Oxford University of England

Served:

  • President of the College June 27, 1900 – 1907

Taught:

  • Ethics and Psychology 1900-1901

Notes:

  • Some sources spell his name Wier and other Weir.
  • Entered the Nova Scotia Conference in 1879
  • 1888 became a missionary to Japan where he became a leader in Missionary organization. Chosen as the 1st president of the Anglo-Japanese College. He was asked by the Bishop to serve as presiding elder of the Northern Japanese District (nearly ⅓ of the empire), and became the foreign president to Tokyo, the seat and center of Methodist educational work.
  • Author of books on Ethics and New Testament Theology and Religion which were used as text-books in the Methodist schools of Japan.
  • Has circumnavigated the globe twice, visiting numerous bible scenes in the Holy Land.
  • Returned and joined the East Ohio Conference
  • President of Scioto College 1898-99
  • Joined the West Virginia Annual Conference and became President of the Seminary in 1900. His great enthusiasm resulted in a brief name change to Wesleyan University of West Virginia. During his time here he secured over $200,000 in endowments for the school including funds to rebuild after the Seminary Building fire.
  • Words used in discussing him include: Kind, Generous, Honored, Respected, Loved by Everyone.
  • President Wier was known as a man of great enthusiasm.
    During his tenure, the name of the school changed to The Wesleyan University of West Virginia. However, this lasted only one year before being changed to West Virginia Wesleyan College. Additionally, during his administration a fire destroyed the original building of the Seminary on February 5, 1905. The Lynch-Raine Administration Building was erected on that site. After the fire, there were
    calls to relocate the school, but President Wier strongly advocated for it to remain in Buckhannon.
  • Became president of New Orleans University from 1907-12, then entered the Wisconsin Conference

Sources:

  • Catalog: 1899-1907
  • Murmurmontis: 1904 (Biography); 1905-1908
  • Travelers On the Long Road, Vol. 2, pages 366-67