Abstract
Dr. Thomas Coke’s [1747-1814] many-faceted career is, at long last, becoming increasingly known and appreciated. A high spirited little Welshman, educated at Oxford’s Jesus College and ordained in the Church of England, Coke became John Wesley’s assistant. In September of 1784 Wesley set Coke apart as a General Superintendent (the term was later changed to Bishop) and dispatched him to America to ordain Francis Asbury. At the Christmas Conference, convened in Baltimore, December 24, 1784, the Methodist Episcopal Church was born. During the six months immediately following the Christmas Conference Coke engaged in a heroic war against slavery. This little known campaign was held in early 1785. While it may appear to have been of little immediate success, by it seeds were planted which would bear much fruit in later years. Coke was the gadfly which stung many — either to action or withdrawal — from Methodism.