Moses Hoge (February 15, 1752 – July 5, 1820) was a Presbyterian minister as well as an educator and abolitionist. He served as the sixth President of

Hampden–Sydney College gr, Ye Shall Know the Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts men's college , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA) , endowment = $258 million (2021) , president = Larry Stimpert , city = Hampden Sydney, Virginia , cou ...

Early life

Moses Hoge was born in Cedar Grove, Virginia, to James and Nancy Hoge (née Griffiths) in 1752.

Career

Hoge prepared for the ministry under the traditional apprentice-style system. He had been pastor of the

Presbyterian Church 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 ...

of Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia), for twenty years and was famous as a preacher, theological teacher, and tract-writer when he was elected President of Hampden–Sydney College in June 1807. From the start, Hoge's main interest was in training ministers, and his efforts laid the groundwork for the establishment of what became Union Theological Seminary (now Union Presbyterian Seminary) at the south end of the college campus. Princeton gave both Hoge and former Hampden–Sydney president

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 ...

Doctorate of Divinity (D.D.) degrees in 1810. In 1820, after attending the American Bible Society convention in New York, Hoge attended the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. During his trip, Hoge visited Princeton to see Samuel Stanhope Smith, the first president of Hampden–Sydney, whose preaching had helped lead him to the ministry over forty years earlier. Hoge died on July 5 during his visit to Philadelphia. Hoge was known for his powerful, moving sermons. John Randolph of Roanoke frequently went to hear Hoge preach. Randolph, in writing of him, said, "Doctor Hoge was the most eloquent man I ever heard in the pulpit or out of it." Hoge was instrumental in founding Virginia's only chapter of the American Colonization Society.

Personal life

Hoge married Elizabeth Poage, August 23, 1783, daughter of John Poage of

Staunton, Virginia Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...

– she was the mother of all of his children, and died June 18, 1802. He later married Susan Hunt (born Susannah Watkins), on October 25, 1803.

Death and legacy

Hoge died on July 5, 1820. His third son, Samuel Davies Hoge, married Elizabeth Rice Lacy, daughter of

Drury Lacy Drury Lacy (October 5, 1758 – December 6, 1815) was a vice president and the acting president of Hampden–Sydney College from 1789 to 1797. Biography Lacy was the youngest child born in 1758 to William Lacy (1713–1775), a farmer, and Elizabe ...

– the third president of Hampden–Sydney College.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoge, Moses 1752 births 1820 deaths 19th-century American writers Presidents of Hampden–Sydney College Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers