Mason, Charles Harrison
1864-1961 · Contribution: 1897-1961
Holiness-Pentecostal ministry; founded and led the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), organizing it as a Pentecostal denomination after the Azusa Street Revival
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Impact on the world
Founder and first Senior Bishop of COGIC, today the largest Pentecostal denomination and one of the largest predominantly African American denominations in the U.S.; won the legal rights to the church's name and charter (1915) and built Mason Temple in Memphis (later the site of Dr. King's final 'Mountaintop' speech).
Life & background
African-American bishop born Sept 8, 1864 in Shelby County, TN, to formerly enslaved parents; a former sharecropper with little formal schooling. Licensed to preach in 1893; attended the Azusa Street Revival in 1907. Led COGIC for over five decades until his death Nov 17, 1961.
Sources
- Tennessee Encyclopedia; Encyclopedia of Arkansas; BlackPast.org
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