Alexander Little Page Green (a.k.a. "A.L.P. Green") (1806 or 1807 – July 15, 1874) was an American Methodist leader, slaveholder, and co-founder of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. He was the founder of the Southern Methodist Publishing House. He was instrumental in moving the Methodist General Conference to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, where he was the minister of McKendree United Methodist Church. He was an authority on fishing.

Early life and education

Alexander Little Page Green was born in 1806 or 1807 in

Sevier County, Tennessee Sevier County ( ) is a county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,380. Its county seat and largest city is Sevierville. Sevier County comprises the Sevierville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which i ...

. His father was George Green and his mother, Judith Spillman. He grew up in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. Green earned a D.D. in 1836 and an LL.D. in 1857.

Career

Green joined the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South in Tennessee in 1824, at the age of seventeen. He was ordained as a deacon in 1826 and an elder in 1828 by Bishop

Joshua Soule Joshua Soule (August 1, 1781 – March 6, 1867) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church (elected in 1824), and then of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Birth and rebirth Born to Joshua and Mary (Cushman) Soule at Broad ...

. He was elected to the Methodist General conference in 1831 and re-elected until he died. He was also a member of the Louisville Convention. He was in favor of lay representation in the church. Green was a Methodist preacher for 50 years and a presiding elder for 36 years. He served as the first minister of the Nashville Station Church after it was renamed

McKendree United Methodist Church The McKendree United Methodist Church is a United Methodist church in Nashville, Tennessee. Location The church building is located at 523 on Church Street in Nashville, Tennessee.James A. Hoobler, ''A Guide to Historic Nashville, Tennessee'', Th ...

in 1832

, established in 1787. He was succeeded by Rev.

John Berry McFerrin John Berry McFerrin (1807–1887) was an American Methodist preacher and editor. He served as a chaplain in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life John Berry McFerrin was born on July 15, 1807 in Rutherford Cou ...

. During the course of his ministry, Green carried medical pills and powders for sick patients, even though he did not have a doctor's license. Green was one of the commissioners overseeing the lawsuit between the Southern and Northern Methodist Churches. He was the founder of the Southern Methodist Publishing House, and the chairman of the Methodist Book Committee. He was instrumental in establishing the Southern Methodist Publishing House at Nashville. Green owned at least one slave named Philis, who died in 1853. During the

American 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 ...

of 1861 to 1865, he supported the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. In September 1861, the ''Nashville Daily Patriot'' published an article suggesting Green had been appointed as Brigadier General of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, though they added, "We trust it is nothing more than a rumor." Green was one of the founders of

in Nashville in 1873. As early as 1859, he was the president of the board of trustees of the Central University, its precursor before it received a donation from

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

. From 1872 to 1875, he served as treasurer of its board of trust. He was also a trustee of the Nashville Female Academy (also known as the Old Academy), and the Tennessee Blind School. Green was recognized as an "authority" on fishing, and he gave a lecture about it at the Tulip Street Methodist Church in 1874. He began writing a book about fishing before his death.

Personal life, death and legacy

Green married Mary Ann Elliston (1817-1881), the sister of William Hiter Elliston (1819-1852), who served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

of 1846–1848. They had two sons and two daughters: *Captain Frank Waters Green, who served in the CSA during the Civil War. *William Martin Green, who became a Methodist minister. *Laura Green, who married businessman Thomas Duncan Fite. *Mary Anna Green Hunter, who married Confederate Captain Robert P. Hunter, followed by Methodist minister

Robert A. Young Robert Anton Young III (November 27, 1923 – October 17, 2007) was a Democratic politician from the state of Missouri who served five terms in the US House of Representatives. Education and family background Young was the oldest child in a ...

. Green suffered from tetter for many years. He died on July 15, 1874, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 76. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, where there is a monument in his honor.James A. Hoobler, Sarah Hunter Marks, ''Nashville:: From the Collection of Carl and Otto Giers'', Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2000, p. 9

/ref> His portrait hangs in the board of trust lounge of Kirkland Hall, the administrative building of Vanderbilt University. Moreover, the Alex Green Elementary School, located in

Whites Creek, Tennessee Whites Creek is an unincorporated community located near Nashville in the northern part of Davidson County, Tennessee. The community and nearby creek which travels north to south along US 431 were named after an early settler named White who was ...

North of Nashville, is named in his honor. His granddaughter, Julia McClung Green (1873-1961), was an educator; the Julia Green Elementary School in Nashville is named in her honor.

Secondary source

References

External links

Dr Alexander Little Green
on Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Alexander Little Page 1806 births 1875 deaths People from Sevier County, Tennessee People from Nashville, Tennessee American Methodist clergy Vanderbilt University people Southern Methodists American slave owners 19th-century Methodists 19th-century American clergy