Alexander Jacob Schem
Encyclopedia
Alexander Jacob Schem was a United States
writer
, editor
and educator.
gymnasium
1839–1843, and then studied theology
and philology
at the Universities of Bonn
and Tübingen. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1849 and served two years in Bielefeld
. He became disillusioned with the dogma, separated from the Church, and as a result in 1851 emigrated to the United States.
, but he resigned in 1860 to devote himself to literature and journalism. He was a writer for the New York Tribune
until 1869 when he undertook the editorship of the Deutsch-amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon (11 vols., New York, 1869–1874). From 1874 until his death he held the office of assistant superintendent of the public schools in New York City
.
, a Latin-English Dictionary (Philadelphia, 1857), and published several editions of Schem's Statistics of the World; the American Ecclesiastical Year-Book (New York, 1860); the Ecclesiastical Almanac (1868 and 1869); and, with Henry Kiddle
, a Cyclopædia of Education (1877), which was followed by two annual supplements called the Year-Book of Education (1878 and 1879). He wrote a book on the Russo-Turkish War, The War in the East (1878).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
and educator.
Germany
He attended the PaderbornPaderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
1839–1843, and then studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at the Universities of Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
and Tübingen. He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1849 and served two years in Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
. He became disillusioned with the dogma, separated from the Church, and as a result in 1851 emigrated to the United States.
United States
In the United States, he was a tutor for a time in the home of a publisher whose oldest daughter he married in 1853. That year he began teaching in the Collegiate Institute at Mount Holly, New Jersey. In 1854, he became professor of ancient and modern languages in Dickinson CollegeDickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
, but he resigned in 1860 to devote himself to literature and journalism. He was a writer for the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
until 1869 when he undertook the editorship of the Deutsch-amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon (11 vols., New York, 1869–1874). From 1874 until his death he held the office of assistant superintendent of the public schools in New York City
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
.
Works
Besides the Deutsch-amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon, he was a contributor to other cyclopædias of statistical, geographical, and religious articles. He was one of the editors of the Methodist and of the Methodist Quarterly Review. He prepared, with George R. CrooksGeorge Richard Crooks
George Richard Crooks was a United States writer, educator, and Methodist minister.-Biography:...
, a Latin-English Dictionary (Philadelphia, 1857), and published several editions of Schem's Statistics of the World; the American Ecclesiastical Year-Book (New York, 1860); the Ecclesiastical Almanac (1868 and 1869); and, with Henry Kiddle
Henry Kiddle
Henry Kiddle was a United States educator and had an interest in spiritualism.-Biography:He came as a boy to New York City where he studied under private tutors and at the normal school. In 1843, he was made principal of a ward school, but two years later resigned to take charge of one connected...
, a Cyclopædia of Education (1877), which was followed by two annual supplements called the Year-Book of Education (1878 and 1879). He wrote a book on the Russo-Turkish War, The War in the East (1878).
External links
- Biography at chronicles.dickinson.edu