Albert Baldwin Dod (March 24, 1805 – November 20, 1845) was an American
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
and professor of mathematics.
Early life
Dod was born on March 24, 1805 in
Mendham, New Jersey. He was the son of Daniel Dod (1778–1823) and Nancy (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Squire) Dod (1780–1851).
His mother was the sister of Dr. Ezra Squire, of
Caldwell, New Jersey
Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City and north-west of Newark, the state's most populous city. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population ...
.
Career
After a religious awakening while at college in
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
, where he graduated with the class of 1822, Dod became affiliated with the influential
Princeton Theologians. He published frequently in the group's chief outlet, the ''
Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review'', edited by
Charles Hodge
Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878.
He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theol ...
.
Among his publications there, an attack on
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in New England. "Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century, centered around Ralph Wald ...
(perhaps written with
James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander (March 13, 1804 – July 31, 1859) was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander.
Early life
Alexander was born in 1804 in Louisa County, Vir ...
; published in the January 1839 issue) attracted wide notice and was later republished by
Andrews Norton
Andrews Norton (December 31, 1786 – September 18, 1853) was an American preacher and theologian. Along with William Ellery Channing, he was the leader of mainstream Unitarianism of the early and middle 19th century, and was known as the "Unitari ...
.
For much of his life he taught mathematics at the College, and participated in theological discussion and preaching at the
Seminary
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
, in Princeton.
The Doctorate in Divinity, though, was conferred on him by the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
and by
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
.
Personal life
Dod married Caroline Smith Bayard (1807–1891), the daughter of Samuel Bayard (1766-1840) and granddaughter of
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
man
John Bubenheim Bayard
John Bubenheim Bayard (11 August 1738 – 7 January 1807) was a merchant, soldier, and statesman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He achieved the rank of colonel while serving with the Continental Army, and was a delegate for Pennsylvania t ...
(1738-1808), all descendants of
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...
.
Together, Albert and Caroline had eight children:
*
Martha Bayard Dod (1831–1899), who married
Edwin Augustus Stevens
Edwin Augustus Stevens (July 28, 1795 – August 7, 1868) was an American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur who left a bequest that was used to establish the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Life
Stevens was born at Castle Point, Hobo ...
(1795–1868), founder of
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...
.
* Caroline Bayard Dod (1832–1859), who married Richard Stockton (1824–1876), son of
Robert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...
and grandson of
Richard Stockton, both
U.S. senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
s.
* Albert Baldwin Dod (1835–1880), a
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
during the
U.S. Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states t ...
who married Elizabeth A. Mcintosh on June 16, 1858.
* Julia Washington Dod (1836–1837), who died young.
* Samuel Bayard Dod (1837–1907), who married Isabella Williamson Green (1840–1883),
the granddaughter of
Ashbel Green
Ashbel Green (July 6, 1762 – May 19, 1848) was an American Presbyterian minister and academic.
Biography
Born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, Green served as a sergeant of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War, and went ...
, 8th
President of Princeton University
Princeton University, founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, is a private Ivy League research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees by ballot. The presi ...
.
* Susan Bratford Dod (1840–1912), who married her brother-in-law Richard Stockton after her sister's death in 1859.
* Charles Hodge Dod (1841–1864), a
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on the staff of
Maj. General Winfield Scott Hancock
Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...
during the civil war who died in service.
* Mary Dod (b. 1843).
Dod died of
pleurisy
Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...
after a brief illness on November 20, 1845.
Legacy
In 1869, his son Samuel Bayard Dod (Princeton Class of 1857) established an Endowed Professorship at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in mathematics in memory of him.
In 1926, his great-grandson, Richard Stockton III, commissioned a bust of Dod which was placed at Dod Hall, the undergraduate dormitory named in his honor.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dod, Albert Baldwin
1805 births
1845 deaths
19th-century American mathematicians