Basil Manly, Jr.

Basil Manly Jr. (December 19, 1825 – January 31, 1892) was an American Baptist minister and educator. He was one of a group of theologians instrumental in the formation of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in South Carolina.

Early life and education Basil Manly Jr. was born December 19, 1825, in Edgefield District, South Carolina to Basil Manly Sr. (1798–1868), a prominent Baptist preacher and educator. He and his family moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, when Manly Jr. was 12 years old, as his father was president of the University of Alabama (1837–1855) for nearly 20 years. He grew up in a planter's family; his father enslaved 40 people. In Tuscaloosa, Manly Jr. was baptized at age 14 after reading a biography of Jonathan Edwards. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1843.

With John Albert Broadus, William Williams, and James Petigru Boyce, he was instrumental in the formation of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. The seminary was central to the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention and its ministers. In 1877 the seminary moved to Louisville, Kentucky. With Broadus, Manley was also one of the first leaders of the Sunday School Board publishing operations.

Manly was president of Georgetown College from 1871 to 1879. He was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery.

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