Noble Leslie DeVotie | |
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Born | January 24, 1838 |
Died | February 12, 1861 | (aged 23)
Resting place | Linwood Cemetery |
Education | Princeton Theological Seminary |
Alma mater | University of Alabama |
Occupation | Pastor |
Parent(s) |
James H. DeVotie Margaret Noble DeVotie |
Military career | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Years of service | 1861 |
Rank | Chaplain |
Noble Leslie DeVotie (January 24, 1838 – February 12, 1861) was a Baptist minister, Confederate chaplain, and the lead founder of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a national fraternity.
Noble Leslie DeVotie was born on January 24, 1838, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. [1] [2] His father, Dr. James H. DeVotie, was the pastor of Siloam Baptist Church in Marion, Alabama and later the First Baptist Church of Columbus, Georgia. [1] [2] His mother was Margaret Noble DeVotie. [1] He had a brother, Howard DeVotie. [2] DeVotie was baptized in the Baptist faith by his father at Siloam Baptist Church when he was eleven years old. [1]
DeVotie first attended Howard College, later known as Samford University, before transferring to the University of Alabama. [1] He graduated in 1856. [1] While there, he co-founded Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the age of eighteen. [2] He then studied Christian Theology at the Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey for three years. [1]
He was ordained as a Baptist pastor in Selma, Alabama in November 1859. [1] He served as pastor at the (now demolished) First Baptist Church of Selma, built in 1850 and located on the corner of Church Street and Alabama Avenue. [3]
In the lead up to the American Civil War as Abraham Lincoln became the President-Elect and the secession crisis occurred, he joined the Confederate States Army as a chaplain. [1] Many of his young male congregants had joined the CSA. [1] He was stationed at Fort Morgan near Mobile, where he pastored many of his former congregants. [1] He also pastored the Independent Blues and Governor's Guards, two Confederate companies from Selma. [1]
He drowned on February 12, 1861. [1] As he was about to board a steamer at Fort Morgan, he made a misstep and drowned. [1] He was buried at Linwood Cemetery in Columbus, Georgia. [2] [4] His funeral was conducted by Isaac T. Tichenor, [5] with a sermon by Basil Manly, Sr. [1]