D. R. DUNGAN.

      David Roberts Dungan was born in Noble county, Indiana, May fifteenth, A. D. eighteen hundred and thirty-seven. He was the son of James and Mary Ann Dungan. His mother's maiden name was Mary Ann Johns. In the spring of 1838, the family settled in Clay county, Indiana, where they resided fourteen years. The father was somewhat delicate, though he lived to be eighty-eight. He was full of energy, and though he preached on Lord's days a great portion of his life, he opened a farm in the woods and built a sawmill. Here the subject of our sketch, between picking brush, hoeing corn, assisting at the mill and from three to eight months in district school a year, got his start in education. One of the accomplishments of those times and of that country was knowing the best way to avoid ague. It was common faith that quinine bitters was the only orthodox remedy. The quinine was bought at wholesale rates in the spring of the year, when the price was down.

      In June, 1852, the family journeyed again, this time to Harrison county, Iowa. This county fronts on the Missouri River and is the fourth county from the State of Missouri. The Indians had scarcely gone and the land was not yet in market. Everything was wild; game was plentiful and health was good. No more quinine was needed. Hard work in opening the farm, and small opportunities for education had been anticipated. The log house was perfect in point of ventilation. Life was a luxury and hunting was an ecstasy. Schools were few, and but for a great desire for knowledge, education would have been limited indeed. The books were purchased with reference to their valuable knowledge, and, many times, read and studied several times before it was possible to secure others which would be regarded as worth the reading. These surroundings shaped the course of Mr. Dungan in educational matters. He has not covered as much ground as many, but what he has done he has done exceedingly well. He may not know a little about everything, but he knows very much about the things he has determined to understand. In thirty-seven debates which he has held, this has been a great power; he knew all about the propositions under discussion.

      At the age of twenty-one Mr. Dungan was baptized into the Church of Christ by C. P. [454] Evans. A year later he began to preach and has kept up the work ever since, now a little over forty-four years. During this time he has preached eight thousand sermons, delivered eight hundred speeches on temperance and prohibition, and made nine hundred and sixty-two speeches in debate.

      He was married to Mary Ann Kinnis February 17, 1861. To this union have been born eight children, two daughters and six sons; one daughter and five sons yet living, the others having died in early childhood. During the year of 1860 he preached for a co-operation, part of the time in Iowa, and part of the time in Nebraska. For this year's work he says he received one hundred and eleven dollars and fifteen cents. The summer of 1862 he farmed in Iowa and during the winter he taught in Mills county, Iowa. Then, in the spring of 1863 he moved to Plattsmouth, Nebraska, where he taught and preached for two churches. He was chosen as the missionary for Nebraska and wrought under the auspices of our General Missionary Board for six years and a half. He asked for, and obtained, R. G. Barrow as a co-laborer in that field. Mr. Dungan began his work for the Board on Christmas day, 1864, and Bro. Barrow began on the first day of July, 1865. They were true yokefellows for many years, and under their labors, with the help which came in, one hundred and thirty-seven churches were established. These were the days of religious battle, and Dungan was one selected for that work. He met Mormons, Methodists, Adventists, Baptists, Infidels, one Quaker and one conglomerated theological nondescript who called himself a Christian Union preacher.

      Mr. Dungan served as chaplain of the first State Legislature of Nebraska. He afterwards was unanimously chosen to be chaplain of the Senate of that state. He served as regent of the State University at Lincoln for six years and three years of that time he was moderator of the school board of that city. He gave the first sermon in Omaha and Lincoln, presenting our plea. He returned to Iowa in 1874 and remained in that state until the summer of 1890, when he returned to Lincoln, Nebraska, to accept the presidency of Cotner University, which place he held till the fall of 1896, when he resigned and returned to Des Moines, Iowa. Between 1874 and 1890, he served the churches at Oskaloosa, Eldora, Mt. Pleasant, Davenport, and the church at University Place, Des Moines. He became the teacher of the Bible in Drake University in the fall of 1883, and continued till he resigned in the spring of 1890. For five years he was vice-president of Drake University, and for four years he did the work of the president, as President Carpenter was in the field working endowment for the institution.

      Mr. Dungan's education was gathered from various sources. He acknowledges as teachers Eli Fisher, G. R. Hand, A. R. Benton, S. P. Lucy, and G. H. Laughlin. He was a student in Kentucky University, but did not graduate. When he went to Drake University in the fall of 1883, he intended to prepare for an examination for the A. B. Instead of that examination being complete, on motion of Prof. L. S. Bottonfield, the Masters degree was given instead. This resolution was unanimously adopted. He was a close student all the seven years he was at Drake University, and in the spring of 1891, the University of Nebraska conferred the degree of LL. D. This was imposed upon him because of his work for that institution as a Regent, partly because he had lectured to the law classes during one semester, but mostly because of his eminent attainments generally.

      While president of Cotner University he did work in all departments. He taught Metaphysics, Psychology, Ethics, General History, U. S. History, Botany, Political Economy, Sociology, Elements of Criticism, Logic, etc. as well as work in the Bible Department.

      He did not remain long in Des Moines but was soon located with the Mt. Cabanne church, in St. Louis. This position he held for three years and seven months, and resigned it to take the presidency of Christian University, at Canton, Mo. He resigned this position after two years, in favor of Carl Johann, the present incumbent. Since then he has been dean of the Bible Department. Mr. Dungan has written six books which have had a wide circulation. He is the author of a number of quarterly articles and lectures and booklets and tracts, enough to make six more books.

      In the class room he has few, if any, superiors. As a lecturer, he is quite popular. His wit is ready and apt. In repartee he is never overreached. As a debater he is fair, stating his opponent's position as clearly as his opponent could state it.

      In the pulpit he is more a teacher than an orator. Yet he has brought many thousands into the church. He is deliberate in speech, and no one doubts what he has said or what he means.

[COC 454-455]