Andrew Patton Happer

Andrew P. Happer (1818–1894) was a nineteenth-century American Presbyterian missionary who is known for his educational, medical, and religious endeavours in South China. Happer's missionary service lasted from 1844 to 1891, and during this time he worked in the suburbs and city of Canton. In the field of medicine, Happer created two dispensaries, the first was established in 1847 and the second in 1854. He also introduced higher Christian education to the Chinese youth of Canton through opening boarding and day schools, a training school, and eventually the Canton Christian College in the year 1888. Carrying out his duty as a Presbyterian missionary, Happer found the First Presbyterian Church where he was a pastor and converted many Cantonese people to Christianity, published books and other works focusing on Presbyterian faith, translated multiple religious works, and held editor positions for Presbyterian periodicals. After making his impact on the Cantonese people and laying down the foundation for future Presbyterian missions in South China, Happer left China for the last time in 1894.

Background and education Born on October 20, 1818, in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, to two Christian Presbyterian parents, Andrew P. Happer is one of the most renowned missionaries who carried out his work in China, most notably the city of Canton. His mother, Ann Harper, had the most impact on his future career choice as she directed him towards Christian missionary work through placing him in the preparatory department of Jefferson College in Pennsylvania at age 11. His daughter Lucile Lucy married George Bunker Glover. His daughter Mary Rebecca married Francis Williams Damon, son of Samuel Chenery Damon. His daughter Alverda Catherine married George Dixon Fearon, the nephew of James Sturgis Fearon and Samuel Turner Fearon.

Education After graduating from Jefferson College in 1835, Happer entered the Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 1840. Upon graduation in 1843 from the seminary, he had been licensed by the Presbytery of Ohio. Happer was admitted in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Upon receiving his M.D., he had been ordained to the Presbyterian ministry on April 23, 1844. Following the Opium War, the Treaty of Nanking opened five ports for foreign trade. As a result, China became open to missionaries. As one of only 31 Protestant missionaries (3 of them Presbyterian, Happer faced numerous challenges and difficulties. While his accomplishments are significant and lasting, he himself admitted that it was not an easy journey saying, “My missionary life was in a new and most difficult field.”.

Within a journal article written by Happer in 1872, was his hope for the future of China, the Chinese youth, and the spread of the Christian Gospel message. He discussed introducing new programs that would allow some Chinese youth to study in the United States for a period of time in the hopes that they too could receive a proper Western education and assume the roles of missionaries. This reflects his passion for enhancing the prosperity of the Chinese society through educating the youth to lead the future of the country. Happer also wrote about the work being accomplished to advance the educational movement in China and its promising future. Referring to the work of various missionaries, including himself, towards introducing Western education to Chinese youth, Happer describes China as such:“Now, since China has taken her place among the nations of the earth, she greatly needs men of her own country, with a thorough education in Western language and science, to carry on the international intercourse that this now position requires of her.”. Being a multi-faceted missionary, Happer focused on the advancement of education, health, and Christianity throughout Canton. His religious foundation is described in the future of China as:“A brighter day is in prospect for China, and the only hope of her regeneration is in the gospel of Christ.”.