Charles Carroll Everett (June 19, 1829 – October 16, 1900) was an American

divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

and

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Early life and education

Charles was born on June 19, 1829, in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area, Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin Intern ...

, to Ebenezer Everett and Joanna Batchedler Prince. His father was a prominent citizen of Brunswick, a

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

educated lawyer, banker, and long-time trustee of

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

. During the 1840s he was also elected to represent Brunswick in the

Maine Legislature The Maine Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. It is a bicameral body composed of the lower house Maine House of Representatives and the upper house Maine Senate. The Legislature convenes at the State House in Aug ...

. The Everetts were an old, notable, and well connected New England family. Among his father's first cousins were

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and Secretary of State

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Massa ...

and Ambassador

Alexander Hill Everett Alexander Hill Everett (March 19, 1792 – June 28, 1847) was an American diplomat, politician, and Boston man of letters. Everett held diplomatic posts in the Netherlands, Spain, Cuba, and China. His translations of European literature, publish ...

. His first cousin, Mary Susan Everett, was married to General

Henry Larcom Abbot Henry Larcom Abbot (August 13, 1831 – October 1, 1927) was a military engineer and career officer in the United States Army. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was appointed brevet brigadier general of volunteers fo ...

. In 1846 Charles entered

and graduated in 1850. Following his graduation he began studying medicine at the Bowdoin Medical College, but in 1851 he opted to go to Europe and entered as a student at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...

. In 1853 he returned to the United States and Bowdoin as a tutor and professor of modern languages, as well as the office of university librarian. In 1858 he entered the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, and graduated the following year with a

Doctorate of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

Ministry and academic career

In 1859, the same year as his graduation from Harvard, he became the pastor of the Independent Congregational ( Unitarian) church at

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

, a position he held until 1869. In 1869, he resigned from the pulpit to take the Bussey professorship of theology at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In 1878 he was elevated to dean of the faculty of theology. During his time at Harvard he wrote numerous books and articles, particularly on the

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning ph ...

. Toward the end of his career, he unsuccessfully attempted to see the school publish a

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

theological journal. This would, however, ultimately be fulfilled several years after his death at the bequest of his daughter's will in 1908 with the printing of the first issue of the ''

Harvard Theological Review The ''Harvard Theological Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1908 and published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Harvard Divinity School. It covers a wide spectrum of fields in theological and rel ...

.'' In 1893 he was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1893, although he subsequently resigned. He died at Cambridge on October 16, 1900.

Selected writings

*''The Science of Thought'' (1869) * ''Fichte's Science of Knowledge'' (1884) * ''Poetry, Comedy and Duty'' (1888) * ''Religions before Christianity'' (1883) * ''Ethics for Young People'' (1891) * ''The Gospel of Paul'' (1892)

References

* * Everett, Charles Franklin. ''Descendants of Richard Everett of Dedham, Mass.'' (1902), 215-216.

External links

Lectures and correspondence
of Charles Carroll Everett are in the Harvard Divinity School Library at

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Everett, Charles Carroll 1829 births 1900 deaths American theologians People from Brunswick, Maine Bowdoin College alumni Harvard Divinity School alumni Harvard Divinity School faculty People from Bangor, Maine Philosophers from Maine Philosophers from Massachusetts Members of the American Antiquarian Society