William Rounseville Alger (December 28, 1822 – February 7, 1905) was an American Unitarian minister, author, poet, hymnist, editor, and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

. He also served as

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

Early life and education

William Rounseville Alger was born in

Freetown, Massachusetts Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,206 at the 2020 census. Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the la ...

, on December 28, 1822 to Nahum and Catherine Sampson Alger, née Rounseville. He attended the academy at

Pembroke, New Hampshire Pembroke is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,207 at the 2020 census. Pembroke includes part of the village of Suncook. The center of population of New Hampshire is close to the Pembroke town center. ...

, working part-time at a cotton mill. Alger graduated from the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

in 1847 and was ordained as a Unitarian minister in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for n ...

, where he preached until 1855.

Career

After 1855, Alger went to the Bulfinch Street Church in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and preached around the country including in New York, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Louisiana, and Rhode Island. He became well known in Boston for filling

Tremont Temple The Tremont Temple on 88 Tremont Street is a Baptist church in Boston, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA. The existing multi-storey, Renaissance Revival structure was designed by architect Clarence Blackall of Boston, and opened ...

. Alger was an active

and

Free Mason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and a contributor to various periodicals including the ''

Christian Examiner ''The Christian Examiner'' was an American periodical published between 1813 and 1869. History and profile Founded in 1813 as ''The Christian Disciple'', it was purchased in 1814 by Nathan Hale. His son Edward Everett Hale later oversaw publicati ...

'', which he co-edited in the 1860s. In 1857, he gave the annual Boston Fourth of July celebration day speech, in which he addressed the issue of slavery. His remarks were controversial and the city refused the usual publication of the speech. However, seven years later, the city government unanimously reversed their decision, publishing the speech and publicly thanking him for it. Alger was also the first regular pastor of the first Episcopalian church in

Biddeford, Maine Biddeford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddeford Poo ...

, which was built in 1869, as well as the All Souls Unitarian Church in Roxbury (also called the Mount Pleasant Congregational Church). He also served in The Church of the Messiah, an important Unitarian church in New York. He served as Chaplain of the

Harvey Jewell Harvey Jewell (*May 26, 1820 – December 8, 1881) was a U.S. lawyer and politician who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1868 to 1871. Jewell was born in Winchester, New Hampshire on May 26, 1820, th ...

, the

speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives This is a list of speakers of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the full House through ...

was impressed by Alger's prayers and asked for his words to be taken down by the stenographer and published.

Death and legacy

Alger died on February 7, 1905. Some of his notebooks are stored at the

library, and the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

. Many of his published works have gone through numerous editions, and a number of his hymns have been published in various hymnals and songbooks.

Family

William Alger married Anne Langdon in 1847. They had seven children, including Philip Rounseville Alger, an American Naval officer, and translator Abby Langdon Alger. Alger's cousin was the noted author

Horatio Alger Horatio Alger Jr. (; January 13, 1832 – July 18, 1899) was an American author who wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through good works. His wri ...

, who had also served as a Unitarian pastor for a short time. Though he was less widely known than Horatio, Gary Scharnhorst called William the "more talented" cousin in his 1990 biography of William Alger.

Selected works

*
History of the cross of Christ
' (1851) * ''The charities of Boston, or, Twenty years at the Warren-street Chapel'' (1856) *
The Genius and Posture of America: An Oration Delivered to the Citizens of Boston, July 4, 1857
' (originally given July 4, 1857, pub. 1864) *
The historic purchase of freedom
' (1859) * ''Lessons for mankind, from the life and death of Humbolt'' (1859) *
A tribute to the memory and services of the Rev. Theodore Parker
' (1860) *
Good Samaritan in Boston; a tribute to Moses Grant
' (1862) * '' Public morals: or, The true glory of a state'' (1862) *
The solitudes of nature and of man; or, The loneliness of human life
' (1867) *
Prayers offered in the Massachusetts House of Representatives during the session of 1868
' (1868) * ''The American poets : a review of the works of Thomas William Parsons'' (1869) * ''The end of the world, and the day of judgment : two discourses preached to the Music-Hall Society'' (1870) * ''The sword, the pen, and the pulpit ; with a tribute to the Christian genius and memory of Charles Dickens'' (1870) *
The Poetry of the Orient
' (1874) irst pub. under ''The Poetry of the East''; 1856*
Life of Edwin Forrest, the American tragedian
' (1877) *
A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life
' (1880) *
The school of life
' (1881)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alger, William Rounseville 1822 births 1905 deaths Abolitionists from Boston People from Freetown, Massachusetts Harvard Divinity School alumni American Unitarian clergy Lecturers American editors American male poets Christian abolitionists Chaplains American writers 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American poets 19th-century American non-fiction writers Writers from Boston American chaplains Clergy from Boston