Edmund Hamilton Sears

Edmund Hamilton Sears (1810–1876) was an American Unitarian minister and hymn writer. He served as a pastor in Massachusetts, including at churches in Wayland and Lancaster. Sears is best known as the author of the Christmas carol “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” first published in 1849, which became one of the most enduring English-language hymns of the season. In addition to his hymnody, he wrote religious essays and sermons reflecting the liberal Protestant thought of his time. Sears’s work is remembered for its emphasis on peace and moral reflection, themes that helped secure his lasting place in American hymn writing.