Henry Richard Hoisington

Henry Richard Hoisington (23 August 1801 – 16 May 1858) was an American missionary to Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) as part of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He was one of the first three missionaries who established mission station at Madura, commencing the American Madura Mission in South India as an offshoot of the Jaffna Mission in Ceylon, also known as the Ceylon Mission.

He translated The Oriental Astronomer: Being a Complete System of Hindu Astronomy.

From 1835 to 1836, he served as an instructor in English in Batticotta Seminary, and its principal from 1836 to 1841. On furlough and due to ill-health, he returned to United States in 1841, and was back in Ceylon in 1844. He resumed his principalship till 1849, when due to ill health, he returned to the United States for good.

The first missionaries [workers] to arrive on payroll of ABCFM were Henry Richards Hoisington and William Todd, including three native youths from the Ceylon Boarding School in July 1834; hence, Spaulding, Hoisington, and Todd were credited as first three missionaries to American Madura Mission. Hoisington returned after two months to Jaffna and was stationed at Batticotta, while Todd remained as missionary at Madura mission station. Before Hoisington departed, two schools were established, one for each sex. The first Church in Madura was organized in 1836, and the first convert was received into the church in July 1837. Later, new stations were expanded to Dindigal in 1835, Tirumangalam in 1838, Pasumalai in 1845, Periyakulam in 1848, Vattilagundu in 1857, Melur in 1857, and Palni in 1862.

Initially, the mission policy was to spread Christianity among the natives through free schools with Hindus as teachers, and boarding-schools with Christian teachers - especially, Roman Catholics. Though reading, writing, and Arithmetic were imparted through schools, constant attention was paid to Christian catechisms and the scriptures with no place to heathen books. By 1845, the number of schools were drastically increased to produce 4000 scholars, exclusive of separate boarding schools for boys and girls. Later, policies were changed like abandoning English education for vernacular education and combination of medical aid to the natives with its evangelical work - for this, several of members were trained as medical men.

Henry Richard and Nancy Hoisington were survived by a son, Henry Richard Hoisington, 2nd (also a clergyman). They also three daughters, Sarah, Lucy, and Anna Maria.

A second son, Lyman, died of cholera in India, and a third son died of measles on the trip home.