Milledge Theron Rankin was a Baptist missionary and teacher. In 1921, he was assigned to South China. In 1935, he was elected Secretary by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to supervise mission work in China and Japan.
After the fall of Hong Kong, he was interned at Stanley Camp and later repatriated to the United States in 1942. He was elected Executive Secretary of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1944.
Rankin was born in South Carolina in 1894. He was educated at Furman University and at Wake Forest College, where he received the B.A. in 1918 and later the D.D. (1940). He pursued further theological studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, earning the Th.M. in 1921 and the Ph.D. in 1927.
Rankin served as pastor of churches in North Carolina and Kentucky from 1914 to 1921.
He married Valleria Greene on 7 March 1922. They had two children: Page (b. 1923) and Mary Lee (b. 1929).
Appointed a missionary to China in 1921, he became professor and subsequently president of Graves Theological Seminary in Canton (Guangzhou), holding that post from 1923 to 1935.
From 1935 to 1945 he served as Secretary for the Orient (China & Japan) for the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Additional honorary degrees were conferred by Union University (D.D., 1936), William Jewell College (D.D., 1944), Baylor University (LL.D., 1946), and Oklahoma Baptist University (LL.D., 1948).
During the Second World War, Rankin was interned in Stanley Camp, Hong Kong, in 1942 and was repatriated later that year.
In 1945 he became Executive Secretary of the Foreign Mission Board, a position he continued to hold until his death.
Comments
Re: M. T. Rankin
(Updated: 28 December 2025)
Milledge Theron Rankin was a Baptist missionary and teacher. In 1921, he was assigned to South China. In 1935, he was elected Secretary by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention to supervise mission work in China and Japan.
After the fall of Hong Kong, he was interned at Stanley Camp and later repatriated to the United States in 1942. He was elected Executive Secretary of the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1944.
Obituary/Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28380853/milledge-theron-rankin
Source & Further Reading
1. Milledge Theron Rankin Collection: https://sbhla.org/wp-content/uploads/618.pdf
2. Photos of M. T. Rankin on the Gripsholm: https://www.imb.org/175/missionary-profiles/m-theron-rankin/
3. Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary: https://www.hkbts.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/200708_eNews_Eng.pdf
Life and Career
Rankin was born in South Carolina in 1894. He was educated at Furman University and at Wake Forest College, where he received the B.A. in 1918 and later the D.D. (1940). He pursued further theological studies at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, earning the Th.M. in 1921 and the Ph.D. in 1927.
Rankin served as pastor of churches in North Carolina and Kentucky from 1914 to 1921.
He married Valleria Greene on 7 March 1922. They had two children: Page (b. 1923) and Mary Lee (b. 1929).
Appointed a missionary to China in 1921, he became professor and subsequently president of Graves Theological Seminary in Canton (Guangzhou), holding that post from 1923 to 1935.
From 1935 to 1945 he served as Secretary for the Orient (China & Japan) for the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Additional honorary degrees were conferred by Union University (D.D., 1936), William Jewell College (D.D., 1944), Baylor University (LL.D., 1946), and Oklahoma Baptist University (LL.D., 1948).
During the Second World War, Rankin was interned in Stanley Camp, Hong Kong, in 1942 and was repatriated later that year.
In 1945 he became Executive Secretary of the Foreign Mission Board, a position he continued to hold until his death.
He died in 1953 (aged 58)
Rankin Pictures 1926 Missionary Album
Missionary Family Info
Find a Grave