Roswell Dwight Hitchcock (August 15, 1817 – June 16, 1887) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Congregationalist clergyman.

Biography

He was born at

East Machias, Maine East Machias is a New England town, town in Washington County, Maine, Washington County, Maine, United States on the Machias River, East Machias River. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town population was 1,326. It is the home of ...

. He graduated at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1836, and from the Andover Theological Seminary,

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 ...

, in 1838. He studied in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, at

Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, in 1847. He was a tutor at Amherst in 1839–1842, and was minister of

The Congregational Church in Exeter The Congregational Church in Exeter is a parish of the United Church of Christ located on Front Street in Exeter, New Hampshire. The congregation was first gathered in 1638 by the Rev. John Wheelwright following his expulsion from the Massachu ...

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, in 1845–1852. He became professor of natural and revealed religion in

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 ...

, Brunswick, Maine, in 1852, and in 1855 professor of church history in the Union Theological Seminary in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, of which he was president in 1880–1887. He died at Somerset, Massachusetts. He was survived by a son, Commander Roswell D. Hitchcock, Jr. US Navy, who was married to the author and explorer,

Mary Evelyn Hitchcock Mary Evelyn Hitchcock (, Higgins; pen names, Mary Doyle and Mrs. Roswell D. Hitchcock; March 10, 1849 – April 6, 1920) was an American author and explorer. She was part of the theatrical company, Floradora Company, in the early 20th century ...

Writings

Among his works are: *''Life of Edward Robinson'' (1863) *''Complete Analysis of the Holy Bible'' (1869) *'' Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary'' (1869) *''

Socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

'' (1879) *''Carmina Sanctorum'' (with Z. Eddy and L. W. Mudge, 1885) *''Eternal Atonement'' (1888)

Testimonial

William Jewett Tucker William Jewett Tucker (July 13, 1839 – September 29, 1926) was an American Congregational minister who served as the 9th President of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, United States, from 1893 to 1909. Dartmouth presidency The ''New York Ci ...

gave him the following testimonial: "Of the men with whom I came into professional as well as personal relation, no one awakened or exerted so great an influence over me as Roswell D. Hitchcock...Dr. Hitchcock was a man of wide and genuine learning, but still more remarkable for his mental and spiritual insight. He saw religious truth in clear perspective and in just proportion. As a church historian, he knew and honored the historic Church, but he lived in the full freedom of the spirit. His independence could rise, if there was occasion, into courage. He was broadly and fearlessly progressive. Personally he was capable of sharing the riches of his mind and heart. His friendship had the reality and the charm of intimacy. Though several years my senior he never allowed the intervening years or the wisdom for which these stood, to create the slightest impression of conscious superiority. He was to me a most lovable man, not in spite of his great intellectual gifts, but because of them. I felt whenever I talked with him that I had access to the whole man. It was to me of great significance in the following years that this intimacy of personal friendship was in no sense dependent on frequent contact. The letters which came to me at Andover until his death bore the marks of the same rare and quickening friendship."My Generation: An Autobiographical Interpretation
p. 80.

Notes

Sources

Bibliography

External links

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
1817 births 1887 deaths American theologians Bowdoin College faculty People from East Machias, Maine Amherst College alumni American Congregationalist ministers 19th-century American clergy {{US-reli-bio-stub