Rutherford’s Coup: The Watchtower Succession Crisis of 1917 and Its Aftermath – Book by Rud Persson

Contributed by “historyofwtbts”

I purchased Rud’s book on Kindle as soon as it was available. I loved it. It’s long, but the details are of such great interest to all who wish to understand the history of this most critical time in Watch Tower Society. As if the book were not already long enough, I must have added another hundred pages of comments on various passages inside Kindle. With a lot of help, I have been able to put together some summaries and extract many details from the book. On their own, the extracted details only provide frames of reference. It’s amazing that a good writer can keep all these details interesting when collected and organized. That’s what makes Rud Persson’s treatment of the book so compelling. You’ll better understand Russell’s personality and the personalities of key players who followed and emulated him. The clash between Rutherford and the Watch Tower Society in Russell’s wake informs what we know about how the Organization transformed after the crisis. Echoes of that transformation are still felt and heard in today’s Watch Tower Society.

As a young man, prior to Bethel, my family had moved me to Missouri to serve where the need was greater, and I grew up there from age 6 to 18. Several of my
years regular pioneering were spent in the exact counties and towns where Rutherford grew up. A 70-some-year-old “special pioneer” in our usual rural cargroup was trained in Rutherford’s methods, and helped start a couple of new congregations in his image. I hadn’t noticed all the similarities between this special pioneer and Rutherford until years later when my “table head” at Bethel (a Bethelite from about 1940 to at least 1979) explained many reasons why he himself “never liked Rutherford.” Rud Persson’s book offers even more insight.

A summary of the book can be found here:

Summary of the book that can be read in a tenth the time of the whole book.

A spreadsheet-based list of the many citations here:

A spreadsheet-based timeline of many of the events mentioned in the book

Below is a table of contents – a chapter and section map. But you’ll have to scroll down for that because first we want to include an interactive timeline to give a sense of how rich the book is in detail. And naturally this is just a partial timeline.

Rutherford’s Coup — chapter and section map

Rud Persson, Rutherford’s Coup: The Watchtower Succession Crisis of 1917 and Its Aftermath.

Every heading in the book — 24 chapters, 20 biographies, 13 appendices and 326 in-chapter sections!!

Foreword

  • by M. James Penton
  • Footnotes

Acknowledgements

Introduction

  • How This Study Began
  • Rejecting The Published Version
  • Writing Postponed
  • A Full-Length Study Needed
  • Footnotes

Part One — The Running Story (1916–1919)

Chapter 1. Charles Taze Russell Was Dead

  • Antagonism and Cliques
  • The “Steward” in the Parable of the Penny
  • Russell’s Will Made Public
  • Russell’s Funeral
  • Rockwell Wanted to Resign in Favor of Johnson
  • Intimidation
  • Footnotes

Chapter 2. Preparing for the Next Election

  • Johnson Sent to England
  • Russell’s Voting Shares Discarded
  • Preparing for the Seventh Volume
  • Rutherford Asserts Himself
  • Ritchie or Rutherford?
  • Footnotes

Chapter 3. The Annual Meeting of January 6, 1917

  • By-Laws Recommendations
  • The Election of the President
  • The Election of Other Officers
  • Reflections
  • Footnotes

Chapter 4. The Peoples Pulpit Association and Adoption of By-Laws

  • The Characteristics of the Peoples Pulpit Association
  • The Annual Meeting of the Peoples Pulpit Association
  • The By-Laws Adopted by the Two Boards
  • The Executive Committee Terminated with Rutherford’s Election
  • Footnotes

Chapter 5. Brewing Dissatisfaction and the Case of Paul S.L. Johnson

  • Rutherford’s Trip to California and Alarming News
  • Johnson’s Mental Health Problems
  • Rutherford’s Neglect and Manipulations
  • Johnson’s Case Laid Before the Board
  • Johnson in New York
  • Rutherford’s False Accusation
  • Tension Between Rutherford and Johnson Subsides Temporally
  • Footnotes

Chapter 6. Paul S.L. Johnson’s Visit to Britain

  • Preparations for the Trip
  • Johnson’s Credentials
  • Johnson Arrives in England
  • The Manchester Convention, December 30, 1916 to January 1, 1917
  • Charges Against Shearn and Crawford and the Elders Supporting Them
  • The Tabernacle Meeting, January 28, 1917
  • Johnson Dismisses Shearn and Crawford as Managers
  • Johnson Begins to Lose Ground
  • The Tabernacle Meeting, February 18, 1917
  • Exchange of Cables
  • Johnson Stays Calm Between February 28 and March 6, 1917
  • Johnson Resumes Full Authority and Suspends Hemery
  • The Injunction Suit
  • Hemery Overcomes Johnson
  • Johnson Barricaded and Housden Locked Up
  • Johnson’s Final Days in Britain
  • Aftermath
  • The British Episode and the Management Crisis
  • Johnson’s British Efforts in Perspective
  • Footnotes

Chapter 7. Headed for a Showdown

  • Preparations for the Seventh Volume Kept Secret
  • Russell’s Will Ignored
  • Dispute over the Angelophone
  • Macmillan Seen as a Bone of Contention
  • The Directors Take the Offensive
  • Footnotes

Chapter 8. The Johnson Case Triggers a Clash

  • Rutherford’s British Commission Favored Johnson
  • The Issue of Johnson’s Credentials
  • Johnson Takes the Offensive
  • A Turning Point for The Directors
  • The Board Meeting of June 20, 1917
  • Hirsh Throws the Gauntlet Down
  • Footnotes

Chapter 9. From June 21 to July 16, 1917

  • Signed Resignations Looked For
  • Was There a Conspiracy?
  • Rutherford Calls on “a Philadelphia Lawyer”
  • A Third Request for A Board Meeting
  • The Police Incident at the Tabernacle
  • Macmillan’s Later Story
  • The Directors Meet McGee in Brooklyn
  • McGee Urges the Directors to Pass Detailed By-Laws
  • Rutherford Contacts McGee
  • William M. Wisdom’s Alleged Alarm
  • Rutherford Appoints Four New Directors
  • Rutherford Back in Brooklyn
  • Both Parties Spread Word about the Conflict
  • The Distribution of the Seventh Volume Starts
  • Footnotes

Chapter 10. “A Strenuous Day”

  • The Board Meeting in the Forenoon
  • The Noon Meal
  • Rutherford’s Announcements
  • Massive Protests
  • Pierson Realizes that Rutherford’s Position Was Untenable
  • The Seventh Volume not the Issue
  • The Adjourned Board Meeting Resumed
  • Appeal to Prophecy
  • Footnotes

Chapter 11. Peace Efforts and More Confrontation

  • Johnson’s Mediation Efforts
  • Petitions Signed Under Duress
  • Rutherford’s Letter to The Ecclesias
  • McGee Brings Rutherford to Tears
  • Footnotes

Chapter 12. Rutherford’s Legal Arguments

  • The Charter Provision of Tenure “for life”
  • Astounding Hypocrisy and Fraud
  • The Case of Robert H. Hirsh
  • Directors Did Not Have to Be Elected in Pennsylvania
  • Election to Office Was Not Election to the Board
  • The Charter on Filling Vacancies on the Board
  • The Claim that Three Directors Had to Be Pennsylvania Residents
  • The President of the Peoples Pulpit Association Not Absolute
  • Shyster Lawyers
  • There Were No Vacancies on the Board
  • Rutherford’s “Legal Arguments”—Summary and Conclusion
  • Footnotes

Chapter 13. “Then It Will Be War”

  • The Situation Deteriorates
  • The Meeting of The Peoples Pulpit Association July 27, 1917
  • The Dining Room Scene, July 27, 1917
  • The Directors’ Circular Letter of July 27, 1917
  • No Board Meeting on July 28, 1917
  • The Resumed Meeting of The Peoples Pulpit Association, July 31, 1917
  • Rutherford’s Claims Analyzed
  • Footnotes

Chapter 14. The Boston Convention and Its Immediate Aftermath

  • Woodworth Identifies Rutherford as “The Steward”
  • Conference Between Pierson and Van Amburgh, August 5
  • A Move on Rutherford’s Part
  • Discord at the “Love-Feast”
  • A Few Decisive Days
  • Pierson’s Puzzling Stand
  • The Contest Enters a New Phase
  • Footnotes

Chapter 15. The Seventh Volume

  • The Remarkable Role Played by Gertrude W. Seibert
  • Rutherford Unilaterally Decides Publication
  • How Rutherford Used $5,000 From George Butterfield
  • The Seventh Volume Titled “The Finished Mystery”
  • The Volume Was Rushed
  • The Watch Tower Society Pushes the Seventh Volume
  • Some Characteristics of the Seventh Volume
  • Van Amburgh and Macmillan Criticize the Seventh Volume
  • Criticism Mounts
  • From “Divinely Provided” to “Unsatisfactory”
  • The Society’s Unwarranted Accusations
  • Footnotes

Chapter 16. On the Road to the 1918 Election

  • The Numerous Conventions Held in the Second Half of 1917
  • Light After Darkness
  • Harvest Siftings, Part II
  • “The History and Operations of Our Society”
  • A Referendum Vote Suggested
  • Harvest Siftings Reviewed
  • The Election of the New York Congregation
  • Facts For Shareholders
  • Petition from 156 Members of the New York Congregation
  • The Referendum Vote, November 21, 1917
  • The All-Important Seventh Volume
  • Prominent Bible Students Side with Rutherford
  • The Opposition on The Eve of the 1918 Election
  • Footnotes

Chapter 17. The 1918 Election and Its Immediate Consequences

  • The Annual Meeting
  • Request for Investigation Turned Down
  • Nominations
  • Candidates Had to Answer Three Questions
  • The Opposition Leaves the Annual Meeting
  • The Election Results and an Analysis
  • The Election of the Officers and Rutherford’s Talk
  • Rutherford and His Associates Disregard Russell’s Will
  • The Convention at Hotel Fort Pitt
  • The Election in the New York Congregation, January 9, 1918
  • Separation an Accomplished Fact
  • Footnotes

Chapter 18. Confrontation with the Authorities

  • The Authorities Take Action
  • The Actions Not the Work of the Churches
  • Preventive Measures
  • Liberty Bonds
  • Leading Bible Students Arrested
  • The Case Against Hirsh Dismissed
  • Witnesses for the Defendants
  • The Case of A.H. Macmillan
  • The Indictment
  • The Verdict
  • Accusations of Betrayal
  • Hirsh No Traitor
  • Supporters And Opponents Alike Subpoenaed
  • The Real Reason for the Allegation
  • Footnotes

Chapter 19. The Watch Tower Society at Its Lowest Ebb

  • Resignations and New Board Members
  • Problems for the Peoples Pulpit Association
  • Rutherford’s Final Instructions
  • The Interim Editorial Committee
  • Condition and Activities in Prison
  • Bible Student Activities During the Hard Times
  • The Curious “ZG”
  • Would There Be an Election in 1919?
  • The Annual Meeting January 4, 1919
  • The Election
  • The Opposition Ignored the 1919 Election
  • Hudgings and Sexton Eventually Leave the Society
  • The Watch Tower Officials Released
  • Rutherford’s Illness
  • Millions Now Living Will Never Die
  • Concluding Remarks
  • Footnotes

Chapter 20. The Pastoral Bible Institute

  • Resignations and Replacements
  • Johnson Wanted to Control the Committee
  • Dispute About a New Corporation
  • Types and New Interpretations
  • Preparing for a Periodical
  • The Asbury Park Convention
  • The Aftermath
  • The Forming of the Pastoral Bible Institute
  • The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom
  • Major Publications
  • A New Chronology
  • The Watch Tower Society’s Hostility
  • Difficulties in the Pastoral Bible Institute
  • The Pastoral Bible Institute Today
  • Footnotes

Chapter 21. The Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement

  • Two Conventions Attempted as a Remedy
  • Johnson Sole Leader in the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement
  • Distinctive Teachings
  • The Epiphany
  • The Youthful Worthies
  • “That Servant”
  • That Evil Servant
  • The Epiphany Messenger
  • Johnson Downgrades Hirsh and Jolly
  • Developments Until Johnson’s Death
  • The Movement Under Raymond G. Jolly
  • “The Consecrated Epiphany Campers”
  • The Movement After Jolly’s Death
  • Footnotes

Chapter 22. The Bible Students Committee in Britain

  • The Background
  • The Formation of the Bible Students’ Committee
  • A Final Effort for Unity
  • The Secession Movement Grows
  • Prominent Bible Students Who Seceded
  • Publications and Charity
  • The Movement in Its Heyday
  • The Movement Starts to Decline
  • The Independent Movement Today
  • Were Jehovah’s Witnesses the Victors?
  • Other Breakaway Movements
  • Footnotes

Chapter 23. The Stand Fast Movement

  • The Ship
  • Characteristics of the Stand Fast Movement
  • The “Westward Movement”
  • The Watch Tower Society Attacks the Stand Fasts
  • Dissension Among the Stand Fasts
  • The Elijah Voice Society
  • The Stand Against the Flag Salute
  • The Original Stand Fasts Not Spirit Begotten
  • An Experiment with Communal Life
  • The Sooke Affair
  • The Stand Fast Movement Now Extinct
  • Footnotes

Chapter 24. Conclusion

  • Conclusion
  • “The Faithful and Discreet Slave”
  • The Superior Authorities
  • Types and Antitypes
  • The Alleged Type for the Gentile Times
  • Insurmountable Problems
  • To “Wait on Jehovah”
  • Nowhere Else to Go?
  • Footnotes

Part Two — Historical Biographies

Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1869-1942)

  • Early Life
  • Rutherford Becomes a Bible Student
  • The Society’s Lawyer
  • Did Russell Dismiss Rutherford?
  • Sources Relied On
  • Rutherford’s Personal Situation in 1916
  • Good Family Relations
  • Deserting His Wife
  • The Case of George H. Fisher
  • The Case of Olin R. Moyle
  • The Alcohol Culture at Bethel
  • Rutherford Did Not Go from Door to Door
  • “Their Visible Leader”
  • “The Lord Himself Is Running His Organization”
  • Beth Sarim
  • Illness, Death and Burial
  • Malcolm Cameron Rutherford

John Adam Bohnet (1858-1932)

George Herbert Fisher (1870-1926)

Jesse Hemery (1864-1963)

Robert Henry Hirsh (1868-1949)

Isaac Francis Hoskins (1878-1957)

William Franklyn Hudgings (1889-1937)

Paul Samuel Leo Johnson (1873-1950)

Alexander Hugh Macmillan (1877-1966)

Francis Harris McGee (1872-1926)

William Egbert Page (1855-1927)

Andrew Nils Pierson (1850-1925)

Alfred Isaac Ritchie (1871-1946)

Henry Clay Rockwell (1874-1950)

Gertrude W. Seibert (1864-1928)

Walter Edgar Spill (1869-1953)

Menta Sturgeon (1866-1935)

William Edwin Van Amburgh (1863-1947)

Clayton James Woodworth (1870-1951)

James Dennis Wright (1867-1946)

  • Footnotes

Appendices

Appendix 1. Will and Testament of Charles Taze Russell

Appendix 2. Did Rutherford Tamper with Russell’s Will?

Appendix 3. The Charter of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

Appendix 4. The Charter of the Peoples Pulpit Association

  • Certificate of Extension of Purposes
  • Certificate of Justice of Supreme Court

Appendix 5. The Resolution and By-Laws of January 6, 1917

Appendix 6. Letter to Class Secretaries, July 19, 1917

Appendix 7. Resolution of Rutherford’s Board, July 17, 1917

Appendix 8. General Corporation Law 1882

Appendix 9. Davies, Auerbach & Cornell

Appendix 10. Rutherford’s Letter of December 16, 1914 about his Wife’s Health

Appendix 11. Macmillan’s Letter of August 6, 1915 about Uncertainty

Appendix 12. A Protest against Misrepresentation

Appendix 13. Henning Andersson’s Testimony about Rutherford & Bethel

  • Footnotes

Glossary

  • ANCIENT WORTHIES, THE
  • BETHEL
  • BIBLE STUDENTS
  • CHURCH’S SHARE IN THE SIN OFFERING, THE
  • COLPORTEUR
  • COVENANTS
  • ECCLESIA
  • ELIJAH AND ELISHA
  • FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT, THE
  • GENTILE TIMES, THE
  • GOLDEN AGE MAGAZINE AND ITS SUCCESSORS, THE
  • GREAT COMPANY, THE
  • HARVEST, THE
  • LITTLE FLOCK, THE
  • PILGRIM
  • PRESENT TRUTH
  • SEVENTH VOLUME, THE
  • SOCIETY, THE
  • TYPES AND ANTITYPES
  • VOW, THE
  • WATCH TOWER MAGAZINE, THE

Bibliography

  • ACADEMIC DISSERTATIONS
  • COURT CASES
  • LEGAL LITERATURE AND STATEMENTS
  • MODERN PUBLICATIONS ON THE 1917 MANAGEMENT CRISIS
  • BY THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY
  • OTHER MODERN BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON THE 1917 MANAGEMENT CRISIS
  • CONTEMPORARY PAMPHLETS AND OFFICIAL STATEMENTS REGARDING THE
  • MANAGEMENT CRISIS
  • THE SEVENTH VOLUME
  • WORKS AND STATEMENTS RELATED TO THE 1918 SEDITION TRIAL
  • CONVENTION REPORTS
  • THE FORT PITT COMMITTEE 1918
  • THE PASTORAL BIBLE INSTITUTE
  • LAYMEN’S HOME MISSIONARY MOVEMENT
  • THE BIBLE STUDENTS COMMITTEE
  • THE STAND FASTS
  • APPRAISAL OF SOME OF THE SOURCES USED IN THE BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2016
  • Middlesex, England: Bible Fellowship Union, 1989
  • London, England: Minerva Press, Second Impression, 1999

Sources for Historical Biographies

  • FOR JOSEPH F. RUTHERFORD
  • FOR JOHN A. BOHNET
  • FOR GEORGE H. FISHER
  • FOR JESSE HEMERY
  • FOR ROBERT H. HIRSH
  • FOR ISAAC F. HOSKINS
  • FOR WILLIAM F. HUDGINGS
  • FOR PAUL S. L. JOHNSON
  • FOR A.H. MACMILLAN
  • FOR FRANCIS H. McGEE
  • FOR WILLIAM E. PAGE
  • FOR ANDREW N. PIERSON
  • FOR ALFRED. I. RITCHIE
  • FOR GERTRUDE W. SEIBERT
  • FOR WALTER E. SPILL
  • FOR MENTA STURGEON
  • FOR WILLIAM E. VAN AMBURGH
  • FOR CLAYTON W. WOODWORTH

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