Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson

Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson
A.J. Tomlinson
Born	Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson (1865-09-22)September 22, 1865 Westfield, Indiana
Died	October 2, 1943(1943-10-02) (aged 78) Cleveland, Tennessee
Occupation	General Overseer
Spouse(s)	Mary Jane (Taylor) Tomlinson
Children	Halcy Tomlinson, Homer A. Tomlinson, Iris Tomlinson, Milton A. Tomlinson
Religion	Pentecostal Christian
Ordained	Christian Union (Camp Creek, North Carolina), later known as the Church of God of Prophecy
Congregations served	North Cleveland Church of God, Cleveland, TN
Offices held	General Overseer, Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) (1903–1923) General Overseer, Church of God of Prophecy (1903–1943)
Title	Bishop

Ambrose Jessup (A.J.) Tomlinson (September 22, 1865 – October 2, 1943), a former Quaker, united with the Holiness Church at Camp Creek in 1903. With his drive, vision, and organizational skills, he was elected the first general overseer of the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) in 1903. He also served as the first president of the church's Lee College, later known as Lee University (1918–1922). In 1923, Tomlinson was impeached, causing a division which led to the creation, by followers of Tomlinson, of what would become the Church of God of Prophecy.

A.J. Tomlinson was born to a prominent Quaker family near Westfield, Indiana. His grandparents, Robert and Lydia Tomlinson, left the Society of Friends in 1843 over the issue of abolition, and joined a separatist anti-slavery Society of Friends. A year later, in 1844, A.J. Tomlinson's parents, Milton and Delilah (Hiatt) Tomlinson, were disowned from the Society of Friends for not having their marriage sanctioned by the Friends, and for neglecting church attendance. Milton and Delilah Tomlinson never regularly attended Quaker services after that, hence their children including A.J. Tomlinson were not raised attending church.

Milton Tomlinson, together with his brother Noah, was a successful businessman in a variety of ventures spanning farming, road-building, saw-mills, and bridge building. Milton Tomlinson was also active in Republican Party politics.

A.J. Tomlinson was the only son born to Milton and Delilah Tomlinson. He had eight sisters, three of whom died in childhood, and one half-sister, named Abigail, from his father Milton's first marriage. (Milton's first wife, Hannah, had died giving birth to Abigail). Five of his sisters were older than A.J. Tomlinson, to whom he looked up to as a child.

A.J. Tomlinson was born significantly under-weight, so small that as an infant he was carried on a pillow. His mother, concerned over his small size and the care he would require is said to have prayed "If this child is never going to amount to anything let him die. He is such a care. If Thou hast something special for him to do, heal him up and let him live.". A.J. Tomlinson survived but was never as tall or physically robust as his father. In 1880 A.J. Tomlinson suffered a bout with cholera, an illness which claimed the life of his sister Emily one year later. A.J. Tomlinson's own illness was severe enough to cause him to miss a third of a school year. Nevertheless, as a child A.J. Tomlinson enjoyed athletics and was particularly successful at footraces. He was also gifted academically and was encouraged to practice writing at home by his father.