Samuel Irenæus Prime (1812–1885) was an American clergyman, traveler, and writer.

Life

He was born at Ballston, N. Y. to Benjamin Youngs Prime. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in 1829. Three years later he entered

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 t ...

, was licensed to preach in 1833, and in 1835 was installed pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Ballston Spa, N. Y. For a time he was principal of the academy at Newburgh, N. Y. In 1840 he entered upon the chief work of his life as editor of the New York ''

Observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in co ...

'', a paper of which he afterward came to be the principal owner. His

brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

and then his son-in-law, Rev. Charles A. Stoddard, carried on the editorship after his death. He was the founder of the New York Association for the Advancement of Science and Art, president and

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 ...

Wells College Wells College is a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York. The college has cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College. For much of its history it was a women's college. Wells College is located in the Finger Lakes ...

, and a trustee of Williams College. He was the great-grandson of noted American patriot and pastor, Ebenezer Prime, grandson of Benjamin Prime, and the son of Nathaniel Scudder Prime (1785–1856).

Works

With many books of religious character, Prime published: * ''Life in New York'' (1848) * ''Travels in Europe and the East'' (1855) * ''The Power of Prayer'' (1859) * ''Letters from Switzerland'' (1860) * ''American Wit and Humor'' (1859) * ''The Alhambra and the Kremlin'' (1873) * ''Life of

Samuel F. B. Morse Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph ...

'' (1875) * ''Irenæus Letters'' (1880, 1885)

References

Notes Sources * E. D. G. Prime, ''Notes... of the Prime Family'' (New York, 1888) * Wendell Prime (editor), "Samuel Irenaeus Prime. Autobiography and memorials'' (New York, 1888)

* *Autobiography in ''Irenæus Letters'' (second series, New York, 1885).

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prime, Samuel I. Williams College alumni American autobiographers American theologians American Presbyterians American biographers 1812 births 1885 deaths 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century Presbyterian ministers Wells College trustees 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century male writers Journalists from New York City Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)