Daniel Crane Roberts

Daniel Crane Roberts was born in Bridgehampton, New York, on November 5, 1841, and died in Concord, New Hampshire, on October 31, 1907. He studied at Kenyon College in Ohio and served as a private in the 84th Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War. Ordained an Episcopal deacon in 1865 and priest in 1866, he ministered in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. His longest pastorate began at St. Paul's Church in Concord in 1878 and continued until his death.

Roberts wrote God of Our Fathers while rector of St. Thomas Church in Brandon, Vermont. The congregation needed a hymn for its July 4, 1876, observance of the United States centennial, and the new text was sung to RUSSIAN HYMN. Roberts later submitted it anonymously to the committee preparing the Episcopal hymnal adopted in 1892. Its acceptance brought the work from a local celebration into denominational publication; Warren's NATIONAL HYMN subsequently became its dominant tune.

Roberts's interests extended beyond parish ministry. He was active in the New Hampshire Historical Society, served as its president, and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Norwich University. In a 1901 account he modestly described himself as a country parson whose work had received little official recognition. The wide reception of this single hymn nevertheless made him an enduring figure in American civic hymnody.