Jonathan Maxcy
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Jonathan Maxcy (September 2, 1768 – June 4, 1820) was an American
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister and college president. He was the second president of
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
(then known as the ''College in the English Colony of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations)'', of which he was also a graduate; the third president of
Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...
; and the first president of the University of South Carolina (then known as the ''South Carolina College'').


Early life

Jonathan Maxcy was born 2 Sep 1768, in the town of Attleboro,
Massachusetts Bay Massachusetts Bay is a bay on the Gulf of Maine that forms part of the central coastline of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Description The bay extends from Cape Ann on the north to Plymouth Harbor on the south, a distance of about . Its ...
, British American Colonies. Johnathan married Susannah Hopkins in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
on August 27, 1791. His younger brother was
Virgil Maxcy Virgil Maxcy (May 5, 1785 – February 28, 1844) was an American political figure. He was born in Massachusetts and spent his adult years in Maryland. He was killed in 1844 in a shipboard accident, when a cannon exploded aboard . Early life The ...
, a
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
political figure who was killed in the explosion of the . He was educated at an academy in
Wrentham, Massachusetts Wrentham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,178 at the 2020 census. History In 1660, five men from Dedham were sent to explore the lakes near George Indian's wigwam and to report back to the ...
, and then attended Brown University, from which he graduated in 1787. In 1789, he was
baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...
by James Manning, the first president of Brown.


Baptist ministry

In 1790, Maxcy was licensed to preach by First Baptist Church in Providence and the next year, following Manning's death, he became
pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
of First Baptist Church. In 1796, Jonathan Maxcy authored the well known ''Discourse Designed to Explain the Doctrine of Atonement'' which became a widely consulted work on Edwardsean theological views that found expression in the
Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...
. The first
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the Southern Baptist Convention
William Bullein Johnson William Bullein Johnson (June 13, 1782 – October 2, 1862) was an American Baptist minister, one of the founders of the South Carolina State Baptist Convention in 1821, and later was the first president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1 ...
was one of Maxcy's theological protégés.


Race and Slavery

While unclear whether Macxy himself owned slaves or took a position on
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, the Maxcys were said to have been sympathetic towards slavery as Jonathan Maxcy's father Levi owned at least one slave. Maxcy also held close relationships with a number of prominent southern slave owners, including Furman, leading many to believe he defended the great american evil.


Brown University presidency

In 1789, he was elected a
trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
of and appointed professor of divinity at Brown. In 1792, at only 24 years of age, he was elected president ''
pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...
'' of the College of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations, now Brown University, and therefore resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church. He was formally elected president of the college in 1797 after which he served until 1802. Professor
Romeo Elton Romeo Elton (1817–1889) was an American academic and author. Biography Early life Romeo Elton was born on February 2, 1817, in Burlington, Connecticut, where he grew up. Career He was a Professor of Latin and Greek Languages at Brown Univers ...
wrote of the Maxcy presidency at Brown:
The University over which he presided with distinguished honor to himself and benefit to the public, flourished under his administration, and his fame was extended over every section of the Union. The splendor of his genius, and his brilliant talents as an orator and a divine, were seen and admired by all. ... Under his administration the College acquired a reputation for belles-lettres and eloquence inferior to no seminary of learning in the United States. His pupils saw in him an admirable model for their imitation, and the influence of his pure and cultivated taste was seen in their literary performances. Though destitute of funds, and patronage from the legislature of the state, guided by his genius and wisdom, the College flourished and diffused its light over every part of the country. ... Dr. Maxcy was one of the most learned men which our country has produced. Criticism, metaphysics, politics, morals, and theology all occupied his attention. His stores of knowledge were immense, and he had at all times the command over them.


Union College presidency

In 1801, Jonathan Edwards Jr., the second president of Union College in
Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
, died and Maxcy succeeded him as its third president.


University of South Carolina presidency

Maxcy left Union College in 1804 to become the first president of the South Carolina College, now the University of South Carolina, where he remained until his death on June 4, 1820.


Honors and memorials

While president of Brown, Maxcy received the honorary degree of
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 ...
from
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. At Brown, ''Maxcy Hall'' built in 1895 and still in use was named for him. A building at Union College bore the name ''Maxcy House'' from 1971 until 1990 when its name was changed to ''Fero House''. In 1827 the ''Maxcy Monument'' designed by noted architect Robert Mills was erected in the center of the ''Horseshoe'', the main quadrangle of the University of South Carolina. In 1937 ''Maxcy College'' was built just north of the Horseshoe facing Pendleton Street.Union College Online Encyclopedia article Jonathan Maxcy
/ref>


Personal life

Maxcy married Susanna Hopkins, daughter of Commodore
Esek Hopkins Esek Hopkins (April 26, 1718February 26, 1802) was an American naval officer, merchant captain, and privateer. Achieving the rank of Commodore, Hopkins was the only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War ...
and niece of former Royal Governor of Rhode Island and first Brown University chancellor Stephen Hopkins of Providence. They had at least 3 daughters and 4 sons.


See also

*
List of presidents of Brown University The following is a list of presidents of Brown University From 1765 to the 1920s, the president was required by the University Charter to be of the Baptist denomination: References {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Presidents Of Brown University * Br ...
* List of presidents of the University of South Carolina


References


External links

*
Biography in the ''Encyclopedia Brunoniana''Biography from Union CollegeWorks by Maxcy''Baptist Identity and Christian Higher Education'', monograph by Donald D. Schmeltekopf and Dianna M. Vitanza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxcy, Jonathan 1768 births 1820 deaths 18th-century Baptist ministers from the United States American educational theorists Brown University alumni History of Christianity in the United States Presidents of Brown University University and college founders Presidents of the University of South Carolina Presidents of Union College (New York)