함태영 咸台永
One of the 48 national representatives of the March 1st Movement, pastor and third Vice President of Korea; courtesy name Jagyeong, pen name Songam
| Life | 1873 ~ 1964 |
| Era | 대한제국~대한민국 |
| Clan | 강릉 함씨 |
Life & career
Ham Tae-young (咸台永, 1873-1964) was a jurist, pastor and politician of the Gangneung clan, born in Musan, North Hamgyeong, with courtesy name Jagyeong and pen name Songam. Sources give his birth as either 22 October 1872 or 11 December 1873, and his age at death as 92 or 93; this page uses 1873. His father Ham U-taek, a former military officer and village schoolmaster who later became a Privy Council official, converted to Christianity and the children kept the faith.
He entered the Law School in 1895 and became a judge and prosecutor, serving as probationary prosecutor of the Hanseong court in 1896, then prosecutor of the Pyeongniwon, councillor of the Ministry of Justice and judge of the Supreme Court. In cases involving the Independence Club he is said to have given lenient judgments, forming ties with Syngman Rhee, Yi Sang-jae and Yun Chi-ho. He resigned in 1910 when the country was annexed, and is said to have declined a 1912 appointment as judge of the Gyeongseong appeals court.
In 1919 he was one of the 48 national representatives of the March 1st Movement, was imprisoned at Seodaemun and sentenced to three years, and was released on parole in 1921. He studied at the Pyongyang Presbyterian Seminary and was ordained in 1922, serving churches in Cheongju, Masan and Yeondong in Seoul and as moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1923. He helped found Chosun Theological Seminary in 1940. After liberation he was a member of the Interim Legislative Assembly, second Auditor-General and president of Hanshin Theological University. He was elected third Vice President in 1952 and served until 1956. He died at home in Seoul in 1964, and his tomb was moved to the Daejeon National Cemetery patriots' section in 2004.
From Judge to National Representative
He was appointed probationary prosecutor in 1896 after the Law School. He is said to have given lenient judgments in Independence Club cases, served on the legal drafting committee in 1905, became a Supreme Court judge in 1908 and resigned in 1910. In February 1919 he took part in the meetings of the national representatives and the printing and distribution of the Declaration of Independence, and was arrested and imprisoned at Seodaemun.
Ministry and Seminary
Ordained in 1922, he served in Cheongju and Masan before becoming head pastor of Yeondong Church in Seoul in 1929. He took part in founding Chosun Theological Seminary in 1940 and was its chairman, and served as president of Hanshin Theological University in 1950-51. Wikipedia reports that in 1937-1940 he refused demands for Shinto shrine worship and name changes and was kept under police watch.
Vice Presidency and Assessment
He was inaugurated as the third Vice President in August 1952 and served until August 1956. In 1948 he was proposed as chief judge of the Special Tribunal on anti-national acts but lost the National Assembly vote to Kim Byeong-ro. Wikipedia also records his role in the movement to bring Syngman Rhee home in the Liberal Party period, so assessments vary with independence activities, religious work and political activity.
Grave
After his death in 1964 he was buried in Jail-dong, Uijeongbu, and in November 2004 his tomb was moved to the patriots' section (3-116) of the Daejeon National Cemetery.
Descendants
He is said to have had 14 children. His youngest son Ham Byeong-chun served as ambassador to the United States and presidential chief of staff and was killed in the 1983 Rangoon bombing. His grandson Ham In-seop led the predecessor of Kangwon National University, and Ham Jae-bong and Ham Jae-hak, sons of Ham Byeong-chun, are scholars.
Related photos
