Daniel Leeper Mumpower
Daniel Leeper Mumpower (October 22, 1882 – April 1969) was the first American medical missionary sponsored by the Methodist Episcopal Church South to go to Africa.[1] He served in the Otetela village of Wembo-Nyama in the central region of the Belgian Congo, where he established the mission's medical services, assisted with the mission's administrative tasks, and first recorded the grammer and writing of the Otetela language.
Early life and Family
Daniel Mumpower was born on October 22, 1882, in Fayette, Missouri, to parents Thomas Grey Mumpower and Mary L. Mumpower.
During his medical training, he married Edith Borth, who was from Doniphan, Missouri, in 1911. Shortly after graduating from medical school, his daughter Mary Elizabeth was born in 1913.[2] Dr Mumpower's extended family was heavily involved with Pleasant Grove Church, which was part of the greater Methodist Episcopal Church South branch.[1] In 1917, Dr Mumpower and Edith had a son, Daniel L. Mumpower Junior.[2]
Education
Mumpower graduated from Central College in Fayette, Missouri in 1902 and received the 'Academy Scholarship Prize'.[3] He trained as a physician and graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1912 with his medical degree.[4]
Mission work
The mission on which Dr Mumpower and his wife served was initially established in 1910. Bishop Walter R. Lambuth and Dr John Wesley Gilbert were commissioned by the Methodist Church to explore the upper Congo basin, which was occupied by the Otetela tribe, with the intention of finding a suitable place to establish a mission. In February 1914, Bishop Walter R. Lambuth returned with Dr Mumpower, his wife, and their very young daughter, along with some other missionaries.[2]
Dr Mumpower's role within the mission was primarily to complete medical duties or administrative tasks.[2] Although he also provided spiritual help to the Otetela people he interacted with at the mission, he was seen as encouraging the practice of the Christian faith while also showing understanding of the clear cultural differences between Christianity and the Otetela culture.[5] On occasion, Dr Mumpower led prayer meetings, taught in the mission school, and went on "itinerations" with Reverend Bush in the nearby area.[2] [6]
Mumpower's wife, Edith, was a trained nurse, the mission photographer, and the primary caretaker for their daughter. Together, Dr Mumpower and Edith also worked to create a grammar of the Otetela language, in addition to putting it in writing.[2]
The mission settlement quickly developed under the leadership of Reverend Bush and with the help of Dr Mumpower. Within less than a year of their arrival in February 1914, a church, carpentry shop, hospital, houses, and storerooms had already been built. Dr Mumpower was heavily involved with the development of the hospital.[2]
Dr Mumpower remained at the mission until 1918, when he returned to the United States with his wife and two children. In 1920, Dr Mumpower and his family returned to the Congo until 1922, where they were forced to return again to the United States due to Edith's poor health.
Legacy & life after the mission
After returning from his mission work, Mumpower remained involved with the Methodist Church, specifically serving on the Board of Missions and the Epworth League.[2] Mumpower established his own medical practice[2] and published research, specifically on diagnostic processes in psychology.
Publications
- Mumpower, D.L. (1964), The fallacy of the short form. J. Clin. Psychol., 20: 111-113. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(196401)20:1<111::AID-JCLP2270200115>3.0.CO;2-V
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Livingston County Churches". Livingston County Library. 2005.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Daniel L. and Edith B. Mumpower Papers" (PDF). The State Historical Society of Missouri. 1994.
- ↑ [newspaperarchive.com "Schools and Colleges Close the Years Work: Closing at Central College"] Check
|url=value (help). St Louis Republic. 12 June 1902. Retrieved 9 January 2026. - ↑ Photo, Thuss (1912). "Medical School Class Composite, 1912". Vanderbilt University History of Medicine Collections. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
- ↑ Mumpower, Edith (2024). "Daniel L. and Edith B. Mumpower Papers, Folder 23, Articles and Newsclippings, 1914-1923". State Historical Society of Missouri.
- ↑ Crosby, Pamela (January 2023). ""How Far Does Love Reach?": The Epworth League, Part Two, 1900 – 1939" (PDF). Crossroads. 7 (1). Trinity United Methodist Church Historical Society. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
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