James Waddel Alexander
Encyclopedia
James Waddel Alexander was an American
Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander
.
, the eldest son of Rev. Archibald Alexander
and his wife Janetta Waddel. He was born on the Hopewell estate near present-day Gordonsville
at the residence of his maternal grandfather after whom he was named, the blind Presbyterian preacher James Waddel
.
His younger brothers included William Cowper Alexander
(1806-1874), president of the New Jersey State Senate and first president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society
, and Joseph Addison Alexander
(1809-1860), a biblical scholar.
At the time of Alexander's birth, his father was president of Hampden-Sydney College
in Virginia. He attended his first schools in Philadelphia after his father was called to serve as minister of the Third Presbyterian Church in 1807. The family then moved to Princeton, New Jersey
when Archibald Alexander was named the first professor of the Princeton Theological Seminary
in 1812. Alexander entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
) in 1817 and graduated in 1820. In 1824, he helped to create the Chi Phi
Society, a semi-religious, semi-literary organization, which ceased activity the following year when it merged with the Philadelphian Society.
. He was pastor of a Presbyterian church in Charlotte County, Virginia
from 1826 to 1828, and of the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, New Jersey
from 1829 to 1832.
In 1833 he was appointed Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Letters in the College of New Jersey. He served in this position until 1844, when he became pastor of New York City
's Duane Street Presbyterian Church. He served as professor of ecclesiastical history and church government at Princeton Seminary from 1849 to 1851. He then returned to the New York church, which in its new location was known as the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
. He served as minister there until his death.
Alexander became a patron of Henry Baldwin Hyde
, who founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society
in 1859. Many of the company's original directors were members of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church recruited by Alexander. Alexander's brother, William Cowper Alexander
, was named the first president of the company. His son, James Waddell Alexander, would also later serve as president of the company, while another son, William C. Alexander, served as company secretary.
in 1859 at the age of 55. He had visited the springs due to his feeble health. He was buried in the family plot at Princeton Cemetery
.
His correspondence is collected in Forty Years' Familiar Letters of James W. Alexander (2 vols., New York, 1860), edited by Dr John Hall.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
.
Early life
Alexander was born in 1804 in Louisa County, VirginiaLouisa County, Virginia
Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...
, the eldest son of Rev. Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
and his wife Janetta Waddel. He was born on the Hopewell estate near present-day Gordonsville
Gordonsville, Virginia
Gordonsville is a town in Louisa and Orange counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,496 at the 2010 census.-History:Nathaniel Gordon purchased in 1787 and in 1794, or possibly earlier, applied for and was granted a license to operate a tavern...
at the residence of his maternal grandfather after whom he was named, the blind Presbyterian preacher James Waddel
James Waddel
James Waddel was an Irish American Presbyterian preacher from Virginia noted for his eloquence.-Biography:...
.
His younger brothers included William Cowper Alexander
William Cowper Alexander
William Cowper Alexander was an American lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.-Early life:...
(1806-1874), president of the New Jersey State Senate and first president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, also known as The Equitable, was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. In 1991, AXA, a French insurance company, acquired majority control of The Equitable...
, and Joseph Addison Alexander
Joseph Addison Alexander
Joseph Addison Alexander was an American biblical scholar.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third son of Archibald Alexander and brother to James Waddel Alexander and William Cowper Alexander....
(1809-1860), a biblical scholar.
At the time of Alexander's birth, his father was president of Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
in Virginia. He attended his first schools in Philadelphia after his father was called to serve as minister of the Third Presbyterian Church in 1807. The family then moved to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
when Archibald Alexander was named the first professor of the Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
in 1812. Alexander entered the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
) in 1817 and graduated in 1820. In 1824, he helped to create the Chi Phi
Chi Phi
The Chi Phi ' Fraternity is an American College Social Fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The oldest active organization that took part in the union was originally founded in 1824 at Princeton...
Society, a semi-religious, semi-literary organization, which ceased activity the following year when it merged with the Philadelphian Society.
Career
After graduation Alexander studied theology at the Princeton Seminary. In 1824 he was appointed a tutor, and during the same year he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New JerseyNew Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
. He was pastor of a Presbyterian church in Charlotte County, Virginia
Charlotte County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,472 people, 4,951 households, and 3,435 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 5,734 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
from 1826 to 1828, and of the First Presbyterian Church of Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
from 1829 to 1832.
In 1833 he was appointed Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Letters in the College of New Jersey. He served in this position until 1844, when he became pastor of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Duane Street Presbyterian Church. He served as professor of ecclesiastical history and church government at Princeton Seminary from 1849 to 1851. He then returned to the New York church, which in its new location was known as the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is a large congregation of the Presbyterian Church . The church was founded in 1808 as the Cedar Street Presbyterian Church and has been located on Fifth Avenue at 55th Street in midtown Manhattan since 1875. It has approximately 3,250 members from a variety...
. He served as minister there until his death.
Alexander became a patron of Henry Baldwin Hyde
Henry Baldwin Hyde
Henry Baldwin Hyde, , founded The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States in 1859. It became, by the year of Hyde's death, the largest life insurance company in the world....
, who founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, also known as The Equitable, was founded by Henry Baldwin Hyde in 1859. In 1991, AXA, a French insurance company, acquired majority control of The Equitable...
in 1859. Many of the company's original directors were members of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church recruited by Alexander. Alexander's brother, William Cowper Alexander
William Cowper Alexander
William Cowper Alexander was an American lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.-Early life:...
, was named the first president of the company. His son, James Waddell Alexander, would also later serve as president of the company, while another son, William C. Alexander, served as company secretary.
Death
Alexander died of dysentery in Red Sweet Springs, Alleghany County, VirginiaAlleghany County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,926 people, 5,149 households, and 3,866 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile . There were 5,812 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
in 1859 at the age of 55. He had visited the springs due to his feeble health. He was buried in the family plot at Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery is located in Borough of Princeton, New Jersey. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as: "The Westminster Abbey of the United States."...
.
Family
On June 18, 1830, Alexander married Elizabeth Clarentine Cabell (1809-1885), daughter of George Cabell and Susannah Wyatt. Her paternal great-grandfather, William Cabell (1699-1774), was the patriarch of the prestigious Cabell family of Virginia. They had seven children:- George Cabell Alexander (1831-1839)
- Archibald Alexander (1832-1834)
- Henry Carrington Alexander (1835-1894), author of The Life of Joseph Addison AlexanderJoseph Addison AlexanderJoseph Addison Alexander was an American biblical scholar.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third son of Archibald Alexander and brother to James Waddel Alexander and William Cowper Alexander....
(1870) - James Waddell Alexander (1839-1915), president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, 1899-1905; father-in-law of portrait painter John White AlexanderJohn White AlexanderJohn White Alexander was an American portrait, figure, and decorative painter and illustrator.-Biography:thumb|“Isabella and the Pot of Basil”, oil on canvas, 1897, [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]...
and grandfather of mathematician James Waddell Alexander IIJames Waddell Alexander IIJames Waddell Alexander II was a mathematician and topologist of the pre-World War II era and part of an influential Princeton topology elite, which included Oswald Veblen, Solomon Lefschetz, and others... - John Alexander (1845-1847)
- William C. Alexander (1848-1937), cofounder of Pi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
and secretary of the Equitable Life Assurance Society - Janetta Alexander (1850-1851)
Published works
His published works include his sermons and a book on the life of his father. Alexander's English translation of the hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," became the most widely used version in 19th and 20th century hymnals. His books include The American Mechanic and Workingman (2 vols., 1847, a collection of papers to mechanics first printed under the pseudonym of "Charles Quill"), Thoughts on Family Worship (1847), Sacramental Addresses (1854), The Revival and its Lessons (1859), Thoughts on Preaching (1861), Faith (1862), and many juvenile books for Sunday-school libraries.His correspondence is collected in Forty Years' Familiar Letters of James W. Alexander (2 vols., New York, 1860), edited by Dr John Hall.