Ludwell Denny

Denny was born on November 18, 1894, in Boonville, Indiana. He attended the University of Chicago and trained for the ministry at Meadville Theological School in Meadville, Pennsylvania.^[1] He served as minister of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester from 1917 to 1921.^[2]

The Rochester Unitarians hired Denny upon his graduation from Meadville, where he had shown early talent by winning the school's award for public speaking three years in a row.^[3] In his memoir, Dexter Perkins, chair of the history department of the University of Rochester and a leading member of First Unitarian, described Denny as "the best pulpit man I have ever known".^[4]

Denny left the ministry after four years, however, expressing a desire to pursue his interest in world affairs. He first worked as European correspondent for The Nation and later served a variety of positions in the newspaper industry, including editor of the Indianapolis Times and chief editorial writer for the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain.^[1] He published two books: We Fight for Oil (1928) and America Conquers Britain: A Record of Economic War (1930). He received the Freedom Foundation Editorial Award in 1953 and the Scripps-Howard Roy W. Howard Award in 1959.^[1]

In 1917, he married Josephine Shryock, who, raised in Meadville, was taking classes at the school while Denny was there. She died in 1953.^[5] In 1954, Denny married Dorothy Detzer, who had served as Executive Secretary of the US section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom for twenty years.^[6]

Denny died on October 12, 1970, in Monterey, California.^[1]