History of the Restoration Movement


Richard Nathaniel (R.N.) Hogan

1902-1997

Biographical Sketch

"In 1882," writes Brother Hogan, "my grandparents, Nathan and Frances Cathey, moved from the country near Columbia, Tennessee, to Monroe County, Arkansas. My mother was at that time about ten years old. The country was a wilderness, but my grandfather succeeded in clearing the land and building a home. Several years later Willie Hogan moved from Hickman County, Tennessee, to Monroe County, Arkansas, and there he met Emma Cathey. They were married in 1894 or '95. In 1897 Edward Hogan was born to this union and was followed two years later by the birth of a sister who was burned to death while yet a baby. On a Lord's day morning, November 30, 1902, I was born into this family in a little two-room cabin just a short distance from where my 65-year-old mother now resides. Five years after my birth, my father took sick and died. My mother went back to live with my grandparents, where she lived until her second marriage, this time to Joe S. Donley. She allowed me to remain with my grandparents who spared no pains in seeing that I received the proper training. When I was fourteen, my people turned me over to Brother G. P. Bowser who trained me in the way of the Lord. During the next three years, being known as the "boy evangelist," I converted seventy or more people. Then two days before I was eighteen, I was married to a Christian girl, Maggie Bullock, of Maury County, Tennessee. After a year in Tennessee, we spent another year in Arkansas, where our first child, a daughter, was born. From there we moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where a son and another daughter were born. I had lived and gone to school in Louisville before I was married; also having attended the Silver Point Christian College at Silver Point, Tennessee. We moved next to Detroit where another daughter was born and our second daughter died. I worked in the automobile factories for six years during which time I allowed Satan to discourage me but my wife remained faithful, which finally awakened my soul and brought me to repentance. From Detroit we went to Chicago where I gave my Lord my all in helping to establish a good congregation with eighty-five members. In 1933, we established (always with the help of God) two congregations, one in Marvell, Arkansas, with twenty members and another at Wabaseka with fifty-two members, taking the preacher, building and all of the members of a Christian Church. We moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, to work with the church there. From June to the last of September I would hold meetings sponsored by white brethren. In 1934 we established four new churches: Wetumka, Oklahoma, 6 baptisms; Shawnee, 3 colored and 2 white people baptized; Okmulgee, 175 colored and 14 whites baptized including 5 preachers, and at Haskell we baptized 36, one a preacher—total for the year, 323. In 1935, we preached only for those churches already established, baptizing 215 more. In 1936 we established four congregations: Corinth, Texas, with 96 new members; Gladewater, with 26; Guthrie, Oklahoma, 70 colored and 10 white, with 16 colored and 17 more white people obeying as a result of the meeting. Then at Langston, Oklahoma, we baptized 41 which included the Mayor, City Treasurer, Postmaster, Methodist preacher, Methodist steward, Principal of the school, a Baptist deacon, and one of the University heads—total for 1936, 359.

In 1937 we established two new congregations, one at 110th & Wilmington Streets in Los Angeles, and the other in Gilmer, Texas. In Los Angeles, we baptized 41 colored and 3 white people. Five of this number were preachers. In Gilmer, Texas, 41 were baptized and 5 restored from the Christian Church. In Marshall, Texas, there were 24 baptisms. In our meeting in Denver, Colorado, immediately following the beginning of the church, we baptized 25 and definitely established the work in this city. In Memphis, Tennessee, we had 33 baptisms and 3 restorations. In Guthrie, Oklahoma, we had 22 baptisms. In Wichita, Kansas, we had 5 baptisms.

1938—La., new congregation at 48th and Comp, 37 additions, 33 baptisms, 7 more immediately.

Sherman, 47 baptisms and 18 following.
Oklahoma City, 103 baptisms and 45 immediately, 5 preachers.
Denison, 5 baptisms.
Denton, 9 baptisms.

Total for year, 367. 8 preachers: 3 Baptists, 1 Church of God, 1 Methodist, 2 Sanct., 1 Christian Church.

1939—

Riverside, California, 2 baptisms.
Fresno, California, 8 baptisms.
Oakland, California, none.
Houston, 80 baptisms, 3 restorations, 3 placed membership, Baptist preacher, Baptist Deacon, new congregation.
Shreveport, new congregation, 17 baptisms, 3 restorations. Lawton, 34 baptisms, 2 preachers.
Oklahoma City, 86 baptisms, 2 preachers, 4 restorations, 3 Christian Church.
Denton, 14 baptisms.
Shreveport, 46 baptisms, 2 Methodist preachers, 2 restorations."

(Signed) R. N. HOGAN,
1524 East 105th Street,
Los Angeles, California.

-Sermons By R.N. Hogan, c.1940, vi-ix

A 1982 Sketch On The Life Of R.N. Hogan

I am humbly grateful to have been selected by the Freed Hardeman College Lectureship Committee to speak upon the topic: Restoration Leaders - R. N. Hogan.

It is not an easy thing to gather material on such a great and versatile preacher as Bro. R. N. Hogan. So I thought that it would be wise on my part to contact Bro. Calvin Bowers, one who is very close to Bro. Hogan, and received from him some useful material. Bro. Bowers went by and interviewed Bro. Hogan and in their conversation Bro. Hogan related to Bro. Calvin, many of the things that will be said in this discourse.

Bro. R. N. Hogan was born in Monroe County, Arkansas, November 30, 1902. His parents were Willie & Emma Hogan-his father died with consumption (T.B.) when Bro. Hogan was three years old. He lived and attended school in Monroe County, Arkansas until he was about eight or nine years old. About this time his mother turned him over to Bro. G. P. Bowser of the Silver Point Christian College to develop Bro. Hogan into a Christian minister. He completed the eighth grade and entered the ninth grade at Silver Point, Tennessee.

Bro. A. M. Burton persuaded Bro. Bowser to move to a better facility in Nashville, Tennessee. This school became known as the Southern Practical Institute. The school closed a short time later because the white administrator wanted the black students to enter the back door of their own school. Bro. Hogan began attending the school, and was among those who went home. While in Nashville Bro. Hogan lived and worked in the home of Bro. A. M. Burton. Following the break up of the school, Bro. Hogan moved to Louisville, Ky. with the Bowser family and attended public school there.

Bro. Hogan obeyed the gospel when he was about ten years old, under the preaching of Alexander Campbell (black) and began preaching at the age of fourteen. After being turned over to Bro. G. P. Bowser at an early age, he traveled with Bro. Bowser as a boy preacher.

His first sermon was: "What Think Ye of Christ Whose Son is He?" He also traveled some with Bro. A. J. Bynum, an older gospel preacher. Bro. Hogan was known as "the boy evangelist." He is now known today as "the walking Bible." Bro. Hogan began preaching at Silver Point, Tennessee at fourteen years old.

Bro. Hogan helped to get Southwestern Christian College started in 1949 and has served on its board of directors ever since.

Bro. Hogan has several books in print: Sermons by R. N. Hogan, 1940. He has several reprints: Jesus only and Jehovah's Witness Blunders - Seventh Day Adventists and the Bible. He reprinted Bowser's: "What We Believe arid Why We Believe It." Bro. Calvin Bowers wrote a Master Thesis: A Critical Study of the Preaching of R. N. Hogan-published in 1972. It can be ordered by writing George Pepperdine University Library 8035 S. Vermont Avenue, c/o Mrs. Terry Leoung, Los Angeles, California, 90044. Bro. Hogan has been the editor and publisher of the Christian Echo since 1953. This publication ought to be in every Christian home in our great brotherhood.

Bro. Hogan has influenced over one hundred men to preach. He has preached at the Figueroa Church for forty three years since its beginning. There are about fifteen hundred members at Figueroa, about one thousand of these are faithful in attendance.

Some of the improvements that Bro. Hogan has sought in the church include Christian education, race relationship, support for ministers, and more missionary work.

Bro. Hogan feels that large strong congregations should be developed as a base out of which other works may grow.

Some of Bro. Hogan's closest friends include Levi Kennedy (deceased), G. E. Steward (deceased), J. S. Winston, G. P. Holt and O. L. Trone, among the younger men would be Dr. Jack Evans, Dr. Willie F. Washington, Calvin Bowers, O. J. Dyson, Roosevelt Wells and really about all the preachers who know him.

Bro. Hogan's family consists of his wife Maggie, children: Alberta, Harold & Dorothy. He has nineteen grand children and thirty six great grandchildren including two identical twins, Danny & David Minor and two great great grandchildren.

Bro. Hogan has been preaching for almost sixty-five years. He has established several congregations and baptized thousands into Christ.

He has debated with almost every major religious group, including Baptist, Methodist, Holiness, Seventh Day Adventist, Muslims, etc. He has received many tributes. He received an Honorary Doctorate from George Pepperdine University; Man of the Year salute by Women At Work for Southwestern Christian College over which Dr. Jack Evans is president; A legend in his own time salute; and the development of the R. N. Hogan scholarship by George Pepperdine University are among the most recent honors.

Bro. Hogan has preached in about forty of the fifty states. In 1970 he traveled in twelve countries and he also preached in Jamaica.

He has been on practically all of the Lectureships at Christian Colleges frequently as the key note speaker. He sponsored the first state-wide lectureship among black Churches of Christ at Houston, Texas. Later he helped to initiate the National Lectureship among black churches of Christ. He has spoken at many encampments. In the fall of 1980 he visited the Farris Drive Church of Christ where I am the regular minister. When he got off the plane, my son-in-law took him straight to my home. Bro. Hogan said he wanted to take a nap so I let him stretch out in my long bed, of course, that doubles the value of my bed because Bro. Hogan slept in my bed.

He also preached in Rogersville, Alabama at the Southside Church of Christ where my son-in-law, Freeman Malone, is the regular minister. Bro. Hogan was at his best. Bro. J. S. Winston, Dr. Willie F. Washington, and Bro. Roosevelt Wells also preached on the program.

Now for the benefit of all those who might not know it, Bro. Hogan suffered a heart attack in October of 1980. He did not preach for several months, but I learned from Bro. Bowers that Bro. Hogan's is now preaching again but he is not traveling around holding meetings. Remember him in your prayers.

-by John Harris, 1982 Freed-Hardeman Lectures, page 152-154


R.N. Hogan (L) with J.S. Winston, Hogan's Song Leader in 1939
In A Gospel Meeting In Lower Rio Grande Valley In Texas
Winston was Hogan's Lifelong Friend And Associate


Advertisement from the personal collection of Mark McWhorter
Contributed 10.21.2019

Directions To The Grave of R.N. Hogan

R.N. Hogan is buried on a hillside in one of the most beautiful settings of Southern California. About 25 miles west of Los Angeles is the city of Covina. Traveling east on I-10 (San Bernardino Fwy.), get off at Exit 40. At the exit ramp. Turn right into the Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Traveling up the hill to the gates you will see the mortuary and offices on the right. After going through the gate make your first left. Then make your first left again. Using the sign on the left "Golden Dawn," as a marker on the left curb, and "Cherished Memory" on the right curb, go into the Cherished Memory section on the right. Go up the hill, looking for some pine trees. See pics below. The Hogan plot is at the base of a pine tree, or at least it was when I visited the grave in March, 2008.

GPS Location
N34˚04.016' x W117˚50.368'
Accuracy to 15' / Grave Faces North
Location: Section-Cherished Memory, Lot 2065, Space 3

Location In Cherished Memory Section Where Hogans Are Buried




Maggie E. Hogan
Beloved Wife
Mother & Grandmother
1902-1996


In Memory Of Our Beloved
Richard Nathaniel Hogan
"A Hard Fighting Soldier"
In The Churches Of Christ
Evangelist, Writer, Educator
1902-1997

The Setting Around The Graves Of R.N. & Maggie Hogan



Mount Baldy In The Distant North From The Grave Of R.N. Hogan



From Grave Looking Toward Mount Baldy In The Distant North


From Grave Looking Back Toward The Mortuary

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