Calvin Wilson Mateer

Who was Calvin Wilson Mateer?

Calvin Wilson Mateer was a missionary to China with the American Presbyterian Mission. Calvin Mateer was of Scottish-Irish descent and a native of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Western Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh. After serving with the Presbyterian church of Delaware, Ohio for two years, he arrived in Dengzhou with his wife Julia Brown Mateer in early January 1864 and continued to work as a missionary in China for 45 years.

He was the chairman of the committee for Bible translation and presided over the translation of the widely circulated Chinese translation of the Holy Bible, The Chinese Union Version.

In 1882, Mateer founded Tengchow College as the first modern institution of higher education in China. Tengchow College became a predecessor of Cheeloo University, and finally of Shandong University.

He died in 1908 in Qingdao, China.