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 ...
,
LL.D
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the earl ...
(June 10, 1824 – January 21, 1903) was a
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 ...
divine and educator, serving as the 8th president of
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...
.
Early life
Knox was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.classis of New York, and was ordained in September 1846 by the presbytery of
Newton, New Jersey
Newton, officially the ''Town of Newton'', is an incorporated municipality located in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is situated approximately by road northwest of New York City. As the location of the county's administrati ...
.
Career
Following his ordainment, Knox led an illustrious career as a pastor throughout the northeast. For the first five years, Knox preached at the Presbyterian Church in
German Valley, New Jersey
Long Valley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Washington Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States.
, where he was described as "one of the most popular and efficienct pastors that the church ever had." He then went to the Reformed Dutch Church in
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...
, for a period of two years, where he began a relationship with nearby Lafayette College, eventually joining its board of trustees. Following this, he was the pastor for sixteen years at the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Pennsylvania, before being transferred to
Bristol, Pennsylvania
Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Center City Philadelphia, opposite Burlington, New Jersey on the Delaware River. It antedates Philadelphia, being settled in 1681 and first incorporat ...
, where he spent the next ten years.
Knox was called out of the ministry while at Bristol to accept the role of president of Lafayette College as its eighth president in 1883. The board of trustees at Lafayette had chosen Knox unanimously upon the resignation of his predecessor,
William Cassady Cattell
Rev. William Cassady Cattell D.D., LL.D (August 30, 1827 – February 11, 1898) was a Presbyterian divine and educator of the United States, serving as the 7th president of Lafayette College.
Early life
William Cassady Cattell was born in Salem ...
. Cattell, who has just resigned after a long twenty-year tenure, was a popular figure in the city as he helped steady the very financially troubled college during his term. Knox continued in his predecessor's success, by making sure the college's endowment was filled and interest in the school was still high.
In an attempt to raise the college's endowment, Knox was instrumental in securing a donation from
Daniel B. Fayerweather
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
, who ran the world's largest leather manufacturing business in the world, known as Fayerweather & Ladew. Fayerweather left many small fortunes to colleges around the country, and to Lafayette he left the amount of $100,000 (equivalent to $ in dollars), and later had a dormitory on campus named after him.
Knox resigned the presidency in June, 1890, and spent the next two years in Europe before returning to the United States, choosing to live in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. He was elected as vice-president of the
Presbyterian Historical Society
The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is the oldest continuous denominational historical society in the United States.Smylie, James H. 1996. ''A Brief History of the Presbyterians.'' Louisville, Kentucky: Geneva Press. Its mission is to col ...
in 1890, a position in which he served until his death.
Personal life
Knox was married twice. His first wife was Louise Wakeman, whom he married on September 17, 1846. Together they had two children, and in 1871 Louise died. On December 16, 1869, Knox married Helen R. Thompson, and together they had one son.
In 1861, Knox received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from his alma mater, Columbia College. Later, he received the honorary degree of
Legum Doctor
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
from the same college in 1885. He was also a member of the
Victoria Institute
The Victoria Institute, or Philosophical Society of Great Britain, was founded in 1865, as a response to the publication of ''On the Origin of Species'' and ''Essays and Reviews''. Its stated objective was to defend "the great truths revealed in ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
After his presidency at Lafayette, the college recognized his service by dedicating to him a building, named Knox Hall.
Knox died of pneumonia on January 21 in his home in Baltimore.