Joseph Hannen
Joseph H. Hannen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1872 Washington, District of Columbia, USA |
| Died | January 27, 1920 Washington, District of Columbia, USA |
| NSA member | Bahá’í Temple Unity 1910 - 1911 1915 - 1917 |
| Appointed by | Shoghi Effendi |
| Spouse(s) | Pauline Hannen |
Joseph Henry Hannen (1872 - January 27, 1920)[1] was an early American Bahá'í who was named a Disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by Shoghi Effendi. He was an integral member of the Washington Bahá'í community and was notable for his efforts to teach the Faith to the African American community.
In June 1902 Joseph resigned from his position with the Seaboard Air Line railway and moved from Norfolk, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. where he aimed to work in the mercantile business. He and his wife, Pauline, became Bahá'ís in Washington in 1902 and were deepened on the Covenant by Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl shortly after they accepted the Faith.[2][3]
The Hannens introduced Louis Gregory to the Faith in Washington, D.C. in 1908.[4] They went on Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1909.[5] Joseph was elected to the Bahá’í Temple Unity for the first time in 1910 and served for one year, he was re-elected to the body in 1915 and served for two years. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited the United States in 1912 Joseph took notes of many of his talks, which were later published in Promulgation of Universal Peace.
He was struck by a car while crossing the street in January 1920, and was taken to hospital, but allowed to be taken home where he passed five days after the accident. He was buried with a Bahá'í service in Prospect Hill Cemetery. At his request he had both black and white pall-bearers at the funeral.[6]
‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent a Tablet to Pauline following Josephs passing which included the following on Joseph:
"Thou knowest the magnitude of my sorrow as I engage in this following supplication. The favored servant of the Kingdom, Mr. Hannen, that pure and spotless soul, was the first self-sacrificing person in the path of the Merciful One. At night he was restless and during the day he was untiring. Not a moment did he rest and all his lifetime was consecrated to the service of the Kingdom. In the assemblage of Thy friends he was an active member and in the gathering of Thy favored ones an enkindled torch. In the horizon of guidance he twinkled like a radiant star and in the Abha Paradise he appeared a magnificent palm. He was an illumined soul, merciful, kingly, lordly."[7]
Communications with the South were compromised with the death of Joseph Hannen when he was run over in DC - in fact he had letters in his pocket for Roy Williams on him.[8] Hannen was crucial in maintaining communications and continued correspondence with travelers in the South.[9]:p112[10] Williams wept some 60 years later remembering receiving the blood splattered mail for him that Hannen had had on him.[11]:p195
See also[edit]
- Judy Hannen Moe (Dec 15, 2019). "Pauline and Joseph Hannen Book Summary: "Aflame with Devotion"" (Youtube). Wilmette Institute.
- Judy Hannen Moe (23 April 2019). Aflame with Devotion: The Hannen and Knoblock Families and the Early Days of the Baha'i Faith in America. Baha'i Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87743-395-8. OCLC 1086482806.
- Janet Ruhe-Schoen (2015). Champions of Oneness: Louis Gregory and His Shining Circle. Baháí Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61851-081-5. OCLC 982132115.
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37486321/joseph-hannen
- ↑ https://bahai-library.com/chronology/190-
- ↑ https://bahai.works/Star_of_the_West/Volume_10/Issue_19/Text#pg345
- ↑ https://bahai.works/Baha%27i_News/Issue_455/Text#pg2
- ↑ http://bahaichronicles.org/joseph-and-pauline-hannen/
- ↑ https://bahai.works/Star_of_the_West/Volume_10/Issue_19/Text#pg345
- ↑ https://bahai.works/Star_of_the_West/Volume_11/Issue_5/Text#pg90
- ↑ Charles Mason Remey (Mar 2, 1920). Albert Windust; Gertrude Buikema; Zia Bagdadi (eds.). "Obituary (continued) Joseph H Hannen". Star of the West. Vol. 10, no. 19. p. 345-6. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ↑ Morrison, Gayle (1982). To move the world : Louis G. Gregory and the advancement of racial unity in America. Wilmette, Ill: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-188-4.
- ↑ Judy Hannen Moe (23 April 2019). Aflame with Devotion: The Hannen and Knoblock Families and the Early Days of the Baha'i Faith in America. Baha'i Publishing. pp. 285, 311. ISBN 978-0-87743-395-8. OCLC 1086482806.
- ↑ Janet Ruhe-Schoen (2015). Champions of Oneness: Louis Gregory and His Shining Circle. Baháí Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61851-081-5. OCLC 982132115.
