Henry James (died 12 March 1717) was an English clergyman and academic at the University of Cambridge, who served as President of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

1675–1717 and Regius Professor of Divinity 1699–1717. Henry James was the son of Henry James, a Somerset vicar and chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol. He was schooled at Eton College, and was admitted to

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

in 1660, but transferred to

in August 1661, graduating B.A. 1664, M.A. 1667, B.D. 1675,

D.D. 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 ...

1679 ('' per lit. reg.''). He was appointed a Fellow of Queens' College in 1664,

Taxor A Taxor was a representative of the University of Cambridge who exercised the University's rights to intervene in trade in the town of Cambridge, England. One senior and one junior taxor was elected each year, and each had to be an MA of the Univ ...

in 1673–4, and was elected President of Queens' College on 29 July 1675 (by royal mandate). He served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge 1683–4 and 1696–9, was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity in 1699. As Regius Professor, he presided over the doctoral disputation in 1710 of Samuel Clarke as examiner. He paid light-hearted tribute to a virtuosic performance by Clarke, turning the traditional Latin saying for termination against himself as ''name me probe exercuisti'' (you have exercised me enough); and suggested he might as well retire from the chair. But Clarke had not in fact convinced him that his Trinitarian views were orthodox. In the church, James was ordained deacon in 1667 and priest in 1668, and appointed Rector of

St Botolph's Church, Cambridge St Botolph's Church, Cambridge is a Church of England parish church in the city of Cambridge, England. The church is a Grade I listed building. History The church is dedicated to Botolph, a seventh-century abbot in East Anglia, who is a patron sa ...

in 1671. He was also Rector of Somersham, Chaplain to King Charles II, and was appointed to prebends at York Minster in 1687 and

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, currently Justin Welby, leader of the ...

in 1705.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Henry 1717 deaths Year of birth unknown People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Cambridge) Presidents of Queens' College, Cambridge Vice-chancellors of the University of Cambridge Canons of Canterbury