Robert Howard Pierson was a president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists during the 12 1/2-year period June 16, 1966 to January 3, 1979. While in the line of duty, Pierson served in North America, Asia and Africa. He interacted with 3 U.S. Presidents and the Presidents or Prime Ministers of 8 foreign countries, plus many governors, mayors, and other governmental dignitaries. He received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan in the United States. As of 2018, Pierson is the third-longest serving, church president after A. G. Daniels, and James Lamar McElhany.
Biography
After graduating from Southern Junior College, Collegedale, Tennessee, in August 1933, Pierson’s first assignment was a pastor-teacher position in the Columbus and Albany churches in southwestern Georgia. From there he was transferred to the Home Missionary Department of the Georgia-Cumberland Conference. In 1935, the Pierson family began a seven-year term of service in India, first as pastor of the Bombay English-speaking church, then as superintendent of the Tamil Mission in south India, and president of the South India Union Mission in Bangalore. In 1939, while in India, he was ordained as a minister of the Adventist church. In 1942 during the Second World War, Pierson returned to the United States with his family where he served as pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Takoma Park, Maryland. From there he moved to New York City where he was the speaker of the nightly program Bible Auditorium of the Air over a 50,000-watt commercial station. Pierson’s next assignment was in the Inter-American Division where he served as president of the British West Indies Union in Mandeville, Jamaica; president of the Caribbean Union in Port of Spain, Trinidad. In 1950 he became president of the Southern Asia Division, in Pune, India. In 1954 he returned to the United States and served as president of the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, in Nashville, Tennessee, and president of the Texas Conference, in Fort Worth, Texas. In 1958 he was transferred to Africa where he became president of the Southern Africa Division, and the Trans-African Division, both in Harare, Zimbabwe; and ultimately, president of the General Conference in Takoma Park, Washington, D.C. Aside from busy administrative assignments, Pierson’s love for evangelism led him to conduct evangelistic meetings as often as his schedule permitted.
Personal Information
Pierson was born January 3, 1911 in Brooklyn, Iowa, USA. He completed his secondary education at Summerfield Highschool in Summerfield, Florida, his tertiary studies were completed at Southern Junior College in Collegedale Tennessee in 1933. He married Dollis Mae Smith of Ocala, Florida in 1931. They have two sons, John D. Pierson and Robert G. Pierson. He died January 21, 1989 in Kailua, Hawaii, while serving as the interim pastor of the Kailua SDA Church.
Publications
Pierson was a prolific writer, both of prose and poetry. His biography Radiant With Hope lists him as author of 28 books, many of them translated into multiple languages, as well as hundreds of articles. He wrote many stories and devotional works. Journals, such as the Youth Instructor, a journal for Adventist youth, published his essays. In 1955, a seven part series entitled Forbidden Lands and Strange Places, Pierson described his travel to Afghanistan.
