Rev. Arthur Hastings Grant Biography This biography appears on page 547 in "History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031 . This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm GRANT, REV. ARTHUR HASTINGS, is a native of New York City, N. Y., and was born November 16, 1865. He graduated from Cornell University in 1887, and was Registrar and Secretary of the same in 1888-90. He was pastor of the Unitarian Society of Freeville, N. Y., in 1889-91, and during this time was a regular correspondent for the New York Evening Post. He was on the editorial staff of the Dryden Herald in 1891, until he removed to South Dakota in July of that year to assume the duties of pastor of All Souls church of Sioux Falls. In this capacity his discussions on questions of public interest from the pulpit drew quite large congregations, and he frequently availed himself of the newspapers to put before the people his views upon public affairs. He was as prominent as a citizen as he was as a pastor. In 1892, he was elected president of the Sioux Falls Library Association and remained as such, until he removed to Newburgh, N. Y., in July, 1893, to take charge of the Unitarian church at that place. He met with very flattering success at Newburgh, and at one time caused quite a sensation in that staid old town by challenging the ministers of the orthodox churches singly or collectively to a public discussion of some of the fundamental propositions of evangelical religion, which challenge was accepted and a joint discussion with an immense audience was the result. From the newspaper accounts that followed, it would seem that Mr. Grant was well equipped both for attack and defense, and made quite a reputation as a public debater. In October, 1898, he left Newburgh to become minister of Unity church, Montclair, N. Y. The same year he published the Grant Family History, in which the descendants are numbered by a very ingenious method devised by him. Mr. Grant has a well stored and thoroughly disciplined mind, and with his studious and persevering habits, will undoubtedly be heard from in the future.