Rev. William Hosmer (May 27, 1810 – July 17, 1889) was an American anti-slavery author and editor, and a Methodist minister.
Hosmer was born on May 27, 1810, near the town of Brimfield, Massachusetts, to Eleazer and Clara (Needham) Hosmer.[1] He studied at the Franklin Academy in Plattsburgh, New York.
In 1831 Hosmer was admitted as a probationer to the Genesee Conference of the Methodist Church, and was ordained as a minister two years later.
Between 1848 and 1856 Hosmer was the editor of the Northern Christian Advocate newspaper, owned by the Methodist General Conference. Hosmer was a strong believer in Wesleyan philosophy, and during his incumbency at the Advocate he was a strong advocate for both antislavery and temperance issues. Due to a schism within the Methodist church, his stance eventually led to his replacement as editor in June 1856 by Rev. F. G. Hibbard. Following his removal from the Northern Christian Advocate, a new paper called The Northern Independent was established and Hosmer appointed as its editor. Hosmer remained editor of The Northern Independent until "stricken by paralysis ... while delivering a temperance address" in 1871.[2] He also wrote articles and essays for other periodicals, including the Methodist Quarterly Review.
Hosmer was a charter trustee of the Genesee College in Lima, New York, which later became Syracuse University.[3]
He died in his home in Auburn, New York, on the morning of Monday, June 17, 1889.
Hosmer married Martha Matilde Gamage (21 October 1813 – 21 December 1878)[4] sometime before 1835.[5] [6] Together they had six surviving children: