Gordon Hall

Gordon Hall (8 April 1784 – 20 March 1826) was one of the first two American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions missionaries to Bombay, then-headquarters of Bombay Presidency. He was instrumental in establishing Bombay Missionary Union, and he was the founder of the Bombay Mission or American Marathi Mission, the first American overseas mission station in the world at Bombay.

He was born on 8 April 1784 in Tolland, Connecticut to Elizabeth and Nathan Hall. He did his graduation from Williams College in 1808, and entered Andover Theological Seminary in 1810. While at the Andover Theological Seminay in June 1810, he joined the group of students like Adoniram Judson, Samuel John Mills, Samuel Newell, Samuel Nott, and Luther Rice, whose enthusiasm for overseas missionary service, presented themselves to the Massachusetts General Association; subsequently, resulted in the formation of American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM), the first American overseas agency in North America. ABCM having endorsed Judson, Hall, Newell, Nott, and Price for missionary service, a committee of the board sent Judson to London to inquire the possibilities of cooperation with the London Missionary Society(LMS) like joint superintendence and support of missions from LMS, and still remain under the direction of board; however, LMS declined such an agreement and instead expressed their willingness to receive Judson and his associates under their patronage, instead of joint management. Upon return, the board determined to carry on its own program and appointed the above missionaries to serve in British East India Company colonies like India, Burma, and some contiguous territory out of the British jurisdiction—The board seems to have been unable to point any specific country to occupy. The missionaries were left to decide what field to occupy after their arrival in India; thus, the first overseas missionary program from United States commenced in 1811. Having been appointed as a missionary under ABCFM in September 1811, he studied medicine at Boston and Philadelphia together with Samuel Newell—he attended medical lectures as it might increase usefulness as a missionary.

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