Frank Knight Sanders
American missionary, theologian, scholar and congregational minister
About Frank Knight Sanders
Lived 1861 – 1933 (aged 71–72). Frank Knight Sanders was an American teacher, educator, missionary, theologian, christian minister and editor.
Frank Knight Sanders (June 5, 1861 – February 20, 1933) was an American missionary, theologian, scholar and congregational minister.
Biography He was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka to American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions missionary parents: Rev. Marshall Danworth Sanders (1822-1872), the first president of Jaffna College and his first wife Georgiana Knight (died 1868), daughter of Rev. Asher Knight. Two of his brothers were also ABCFM missionaries: William Henry Sanders (1856-1947) Benguella in Angola and Charles Sylvester (1854-1906) in Anitab, Turkey.
In 1865 his parents returned to the US for a short stay and left him with his uncle.
He was prepared for college in a private academy in Lakeville and in the preparatory department of Ripon College from which he graduated in 1882. In 1905 he resigned the deanship and became the secretary of the Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society at Boston, Mass. until 1908 when he became president of Washburn College. In 1914 he resigned the presidency and became Director of Missionary Preparation for the Foreign Missions Conference of North America until 1927 when he retired.
He married Edith Blackman on June 27, 1888, and they had three children.
Sanders died in Rockport, Massachusetts on February 20, 1933.
Works The Messages of the Earlier Prophets (1898) Messages of the Later Prophets (1899) Outlines for the Study of Biblical History and Literature (1906) Historical Notes on the Apostolic Leaders (1907) Historical and Expository Notes on the Patriarchs, Kings and Prophets of Israel (1907) The Teacher's Life of Christ (1907) Studies in the Apostolic Age (1908) Messages of the Sages (1912) History of the Hebrews (1914)
He was also the editor of the Historical Series for Bible Students, published in nine volumes, and of the Messages of the Bible, in twelve volumes.
He was a regular contributor of weekly articles in the Sunday School Times since 1895.
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Important facts
People in Frank Knight Sanders's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Frank Knight Sanders's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Frank Knight Sanders?
American missionary, theologian, scholar and congregational minister (1861–1933)
When was Frank Knight Sanders born?
Frank Knight Sanders was born in 1861 in Jaffna.
When did Frank Knight Sanders die?
Frank Knight Sanders died in 1933 in Rockport.
What was Frank Knight Sanders's occupation?
Frank Knight Sanders was a teacher, educator, missionary, theologian, christian minister and editor.
What nationality was Frank Knight Sanders?
Frank Knight Sanders was American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Frank Knight Sanders
· DBpedia: Frank Knight Sanders
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Knight Sanders. https://biography.guide/frank-knight-sanders/
MLA: "Frank Knight Sanders." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-knight-sanders/.
Chicago: "Frank Knight Sanders." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-knight-sanders/.
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