Alva Woods (1794–1887) was an American minister, university professor and university president. He was interim President of Brown University, 1826–28 and President of

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

, 1828-31. Of most historical significance, he served as the first

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

from 1831 to 1837.

Biography

Early life

Alva Woods was born on August 13, 1794, in

Shoreham, Vermont Shoreham is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,260 at the 2020 census. Geography Shoreham is located in western Addison County along the shore of Lake Champlain. The western boundary of the town, which follow ...

. He was raised as a Baptist. He studied at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 1813. He graduated from Harvard in 1817 and entered the

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

, from which he graduated in September 1821. He was ordained in October 1821.

Career

Woods became a professor at the new Columbian College in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1824, he became professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...

, where he was interim President (1826–27). In 1828 he became president of

. In 1831 Woods accepted the presidency of the University of Alabama. He resigned from the

in 1837, becoming a prison minister. He died in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, on September 6, 1887.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Alva 1794 births 1887 deaths People from Shoreham, Vermont Phillips Academy alumni Brown University faculty Presidents of Transylvania University Presidents of the University of Alabama Baptist ministers from the United States Columbian College of Arts and Sciences faculty Presidents of Brown University Harvard University alumni Andover Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century American clergy