Anthony Duché was a Hugeunot, born in France in 17th century. Huguenots were a Protestant minority in a Catholic country. By order of the king, missionaries were sent to forcibly convert Protestants to Catholicism. Sometimes the military occupied and looted their homes. In 1685, Protestantism became illegal: no worship, children educated as Catholics, no emigration.1
Anthony fled persecution and set sail for America in about 1699. Going to America meant a New World, a new hope for his family. He started a pottery business. His son Jacob Duché, Sr., born, in 1708 was a wealthy lawyer. In 1762, he was elected mayor of Philadelphia.2
The chance for a new life had paid off – the Duchés had become a family with some status. Jacob Duché, Jr. was born in 1737 or 1738. He got a good education and was ordained as a minister in the Anglican church. Rev. Duché was known, not just as a good and charismatic man, but as one who worked with other churches and other denominations. So, perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us that Samuel Adams asked him to be the one to give the opening prayer at one of the earliest meetings of the First Continental Congress in 1774.3
Rev. Duché began by reading Psalm 35. Then he gave a spontaneous prayer from his heart:
“O Lord our Heavenly Father…look down in mercy, we beseech thee, on these our American States, who have fled to thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee, to Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which thou alone canst give; take them…, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince [our enemies] of the unrighteousness of their Cause…constrain them to drop the weapons of war…in the day of battle! Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly… That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people.”4
The prayer moved them so much that they elected Rev. Duché to be the first chaplain of the Continental Congress. But this is not the end of his story. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, the leaders of his church told him that he should no longer pray for King George III, king of Great Britain, in their worship services. Praying for the monarch was a requirement in the Anglican church, something that Rev. Duché had vowed to do when he was ordained. As requested, the reverend stopped praying for the king. In 1777, when the British occupied Philadelphia, he was arrested and jailed for one day. Soon after his release, he wrote a letter to General George Washington.5
He confessed that it was probably a mistake for him to become the chaplain of congress. He had been surprised that congress only discussed the idea of independence, rather than methods of negotiating and working with the King. In thinking of the members of congress, he believed: “independency was the idol, which they had long wished to set up, [and] rather than sacrifice this, they would deluge their Country in Blood.”6 He continued, charging Washington,
“Are the Dregs of Congress, then, still to influence a mind like yours? These are not the Men you engaged to serve. These are not the Men that America has chosen to represent her… As for the Army itself, what have you to expect from them? Have they not frequently abandoned even yourself in the hour of extremity?… In a word, your harbours are blocked up, your cities fall one after another, fortress after fortress, battle after battle is lost… How unequal the Contest now! How fruitless the expense of Blood!”7
Basically, in a private letter, he was trying to convince Washington to stop the war, disperse the army, and accept America’s status as a colony. He said, “millions will bless the Hero, that left the Field of War to decide this most important Contest, with the Weapons of Wisdom & Humanity.”8
Washington shared the letter with congress and it was soon published for all to see. Pennsylvania convicted Rev. Duché of high treason and seized his land. He fled to England. Americans had branded him a traitor; the British thought him a fool.9 How could the reverend have done this? His family legacy had been the American success story, right? One generation fled religious persecution to arrive in the colonies, poor but determined; the next generation saw a successful lawyer and even mayor of a major city; and Rev. Duché, himself, was able to choose his own path, to follow his spiritual calling. All the doors were open to him.
Rev. Duché was certain that he and the other colonists must fight against injustice, abuse, and oppression. But, at the end of the day… he turned from the risk of independence. He believed that an orderly society was the best way to end persecution. Fight the worst cases, yes, but keep the peace – just as things are. If most people were able to be happy, then things were going well enough. If it was good enough for “society,” for the wealthy, for the powerful…well, that’s what he saw as justice and peace.10
[1] https://people.smu.edu/religionandfoundingusa/jacob-duches-american-vine/jacob-duche/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenots
[2] https://people.smu.edu/religionandfoundingusa/jacob-duches-american-vine/jacob-duche/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Duch%C3%A9_Sr.
[3] https://people.smu.edu/religionandfoundingusa/jacob-duches-american-vine/jacob-duche/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Duch%C3%A9
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Duch%C3%A9
[5] https://people.smu.edu/religionandfoundingusa/jacob-duches-american-vine/jacob-duche/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Duch%C3%A9 & https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/jacob-duche/
[6] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-11-02-0452
[7] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-11-02-0452
[8] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-11-02-0452
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Duch%C3%A9 & https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/jacob-duche/
[10] https://people.smu.edu/religionandfoundingusa/jacob-duches-american-vine/jacob-duche/