James Waddel Alexander (March 13, 1804 – July 31, 1859) was an American

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 ...

minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev.

Archibald Alexander Archibald Alexander (April 17, 1772 – October 22, 1851) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He served for 9 years as the President of Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia and for 39 year ...

Early life

Alexander was born in 1804 in

Louisa County, Virginia Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,596. The county seat is Louisa. History Prior to colonial settlement, the area comprising Louisa County was occupied by severa ...

, the eldest son of Rev.

and his wife Janetta Waddel. He was born on the Hopewell estate near present-day Gordonsville at the residence of his maternal grandfather after whom he was named, the blind Presbyterian preacher

James Waddel James Waddel (or Waddell, July 1739 – September 17, 1805) was an Irish American Presbyterian preacher from Virginia noted for his eloquence. He was a founding trustee of Liberty Hall (later Washington and Lee University), when it was made into ...

. His younger brothers included

William Cowper Alexander William Cowper Alexander (May 20, 1806 – August 23, 1874) was an American lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Early li ...

(1806–1874), president of the

New Jersey State Senate The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...

and first president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, and

Joseph Addison Alexander Joseph Addison Alexander (April 24, 1809 – January 28, 1860) was an American clergyman and biblical scholar. Early life He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 24, 1809, the third son of Archibald Alexander and Janetta Waddel Alexa ...

(1809–1860), a biblical scholar. At the time of Alexander's birth, his father was president of

Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. Hampden Sydney is the home of Hampden–Sydney College, a private all-male college that is the tenth- ...

in Virginia. He attended his first schools in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

after his father was called to serve as minister of the Third Presbyterian Church in 1807. The family then moved to

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

when Archibald Alexander was named the first professor of the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

in 1812. Alexander entered the College of New Jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

) in 1817 and graduated in 1820, followed with a four years' course at the Princeton theological seminary. In 1824, he helped to create the

Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternities and sororities, fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest o ...

Society, a semi-religious, semi-literary organization, which ceased activity the following year when it merged with the Philadelphian Society.

Career

In 1824 he was appointed a tutor, and during the same year he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of

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. He was pastor of a Presbyterian church in

Charlotte County, Virginia Charlotte County is a United States county located in the south central part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Charlotte Court House. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,529. Charlotte County is ...

from 1826 to 1828, and of the First Presbyterian Church of

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. In 1833, he was appointed Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Letters in the College of New Jersey. He served in this position until 1844, when he became pastor of New York City's Duane Street Presbyterian Church for the next five years. He served as professor of ecclesiastical history and church government at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1849 to 1851. He then returned to the New York church, which in its new location was known as the

Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) church in New York City. The church, on Fifth Avenue at 7 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, has approximately 2,200 members and is one of the larger PCUSA congregations. The ...

. He served as minister there until his death. Alexander became a patron of

Henry Baldwin Hyde Henry Baldwin Hyde (February 15, 1834–May 2, 1899) was an American businessman. He is notable for having founded The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States in 1859. By the time of Hyde's death, The Equitable was the largest l ...

, who founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society in 1859. Many of the company's original directors were members of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church recruited by Alexander. Alexander's brother,

, was named the first president of the company. His son, James Waddell Alexander, would also later serve as president of the company, while another son, William C. Alexander, served as company secretary. Alexander was also a vice president of the

University Club of New York The University Club of New York (also known as University Club) is a private social club at 1 West 54th Street and Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Founded to celebrate the union of social duty and intellec ...

from 1887 to 1890 and a president from 1891 to 1899.

Personal life

On June 18, 1830, Alexander married Elizabeth Clarentine Cabell (1809–1885), daughter of George Cabell and Susannah Wyatt. Her paternal great–grandfather, William Cabell (1699–1774), was the patriarch of the prestigious Cabell family of Virginia. They had seven children: * George Cabell Alexander (1831–1839) * Archibald Alexander (1832–1834) * Henry Carrington Alexander (1835–1894), author of ''The Life of

'' (1870) * James Waddell Alexander (1839–1915), president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, 1899–1905; father-in-law of portrait painter

John White Alexander John White Alexander (7 October 1856 – 31 May 1915) was an American portrait, figure, and decorative painter and illustrator. Early life Alexander was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, now a part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Orphaned in in ...

and grandfather of mathematician

James Waddell Alexander II James Waddell Alexander II (September 19, 1888 September 23, 1971) was a mathematician and topologist of the pre-World War II era and part of an influential Princeton topology elite, which included Oswald Veblen, Solomon Lefschetz, and others. ...

* John Alexander (1845–1847) * William C. Alexander (1848–1937), cofounder of

Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha (), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 30 ...

and secretary of the Equitable Life Assurance Society * Janetta Alexander (1850–1851) Alexander died of dysentery at the Red Sweet Springs in

Alleghany County, Virginia Alleghany County is an American county located on the far western edge of Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bordered by the Allegheny Mountains, from which the county derives its name, and it is the northernmost part of the Roanoke Region. The ...

in 1859 at the age of 55. He had visited the springs due to his feeble health. He was buried in the family plot at

Princeton Cemetery Princeton Cemetery is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as "The Westminster Abbey of the United State ...

Published works

His published works include his sermons and a book on the life of his father. Alexander's English translation of the hymn "

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" is a Christian Passion hymn based on a Latin text written during the Middle Ages. Paul Gerhardt wrote a German version which is known by its incipit, "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden". Text Original Latin The hymn is ...

," became the most widely used version in 19th and 20th century hymnals. His books, and many juvenile books for Sunday-school libraries, include: * ''A Gift to the Afflicted'' (1835) * ''The American Mechanic and Workingman'' (2 vols., 1847, a collection of papers to mechanics first printed under the pseudonym of "Charles Quill") * ''Thoughts on Family Worship'' (1847) * ''Sacramental Addresses'' (1854) * ''The Revival and its Lessons'' (1859) * ''Thoughts on Preaching'' (1861) * ''Faith'' (1862) His correspondence is collected in ''Forty Years' Familiar Letters of James W. Alexander'' (2 vols., New York, 1860), edited by Dr John Hall.

References

;Citations ;Sources * * * * * * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, James Waddel 1804 births 1859 deaths American Calvinist and Reformed theologians 19th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers Burials at Princeton Cemetery Princeton Theological Seminary faculty People from Louisa County, Virginia People from Princeton, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Princeton University faculty Princeton Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century Presbyterian ministers 19th-century American clergy