Martin Ruter

Who was Martin Ruter?

Rev. Martin Henry Ruter, D.D. was a prominent Methodist minister, missionary and educator of the early 19th century.

The son of a blacksmith, Ruter was born in Massachusetts but moved with his family to Vermont at an early age. Largely self-educated, he read English literature and taught himself Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and French. After being called into the ministry, he joined the New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1801 and received his elder’s orders from Bishop Francis Asbury in 1805.