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John Edwards Caldwell

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For other people named John Edwards, see John Edwards (disambiguation).
John Edwards Caldwell
Portrait of Caldwell by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, c. 1799.
Consular Agent for the West Indies and San Domingo
In office
1801–1803
PresidentThomas Jefferson
Personal details
BornFebruary 2, 1769
Elizabeth, New Jersey, British America
DiedMarch 9, 1819(1819-03-09) (aged 50)
Manhattan, New York, United States
Spouse
Hannah Wyck
​
(m. 1805)​
Children1
RelativesJames Caldwell (father)
Known forA Tour through Part of Virginia

John Edwards Caldwell (February 2, 1769—March 9, 1819) was an American author, philanthropist, and politician who co-founded the American Bible Society and the Christian Herald.

Early life and family

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Caldwell was born in 1769, the son of James Caldwell and Hannah Ogden.[1] His father was a Presbyterian minister who played a prominent part in the American Revolution and was known as the "Fighting Parson".[2][3] Caldwell's family home was burned by Loyalists in 1780.[2]

After his father's murder in 1781, Caldwell was placed under the care of his legal guardian Elias Boudinot, who sent him to live in the home of Rev. Alexander MacWhorter.[4] Caldwell was later adopted by Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who took him with his family upon his return to France in 1782.[5] Caldwell was educated in a French boarding school during that period. In 1785, Caldwell and the family of Lafayette dined with John Adams.[4][6] In 1791, Caldwell returned to America and settled in Philadelphia, where his guardian Boudinot was living.[4]

Marriage

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In 1801, Caldwell married Hanna Wyck, and they had one daughter.[7]

Career

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In June 1801, Caldwell received a recess appointment by President Thomas Jefferson as Consular Agent for the West Indies and San Domingo.[8][9] His appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate in January 1802.[10][11] In 1802, he wrote to then-Secretary of State James Madison and provided an account of American vessels in port.[12][13] Caldwell later moved to New York City.[7]

Caldwell was an early founder of the American Bible Society, and served as its general agent from 1878 until the rest of his life.[4] In 1816, Caldwell made a founding donation to the society of $10,000. Caldwell was also the founder of the Christian Herald, and he served as editor and publisher of the first five volumes.[7]

In 1809, Caldwell published his first book, A Tour through Part of Virginia, In the Summer of 1808.[14]

Death and legacy

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Caldwell died in 1819 aged 50. He is buried at Middle Dutch Church.[15]

His portrait is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.[16][17] The John Edwards Caldwell Papers are in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress, and his 1809 book A Tour through Part of Virginia is in the collection of the United States National Library of Medicine.[18][19]

Works

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  • A Tour through Part of Virginia, In the Summer of 1808, 1809.[20][21]
  • Some Account of the Islands of the Azores, 1809.
  • Scenes from a Cave Tour, 1808.[22]
  • The Christian Herald: Volume I, 1816.
  • The Christian Herald: Volume II, 1816.
  • The Christian Herald: Volume III, 1817.
  • The Christian Herald: Volume IV, 1817.
  • The Christian Herald: Volume V, 1818.

References

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  1. ^ Lineage Book. The Society of Daughters of the American Revolution. 1922.
  2. ^ a b "West Virginia and its people". New York, Lewis Historical Pub. Co. 1913.
  3. ^ "History of West Caldwell". Township of West Caldwell. Caldwell earned the nickname "the Fighting Parson" because of his aid to Washington's men as they battled in various parts of Horseneck.
  4. ^ a b c d "Founders Online: 21st". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  5. ^ A Memoir of the Rev. James Caldwell, of Elizabethtown. N.J. Hist. Soc. 1848.
  6. ^ "21st.," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/03-01-02-0007-0004-0014. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Diary of John Quincy Adams, vol. 1, November 1779 – March 1786, ed. Robert J. Taylor and Marc Friedlaender. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981, p. 225.]
  7. ^ a b c The Ogden Family in America, Elizabethtown Branch. p. 161.
  8. ^ "Founders Online: To Thomas Jefferson from John R. Smith, 5 March 1801". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  9. ^ "Founders Online: III. List of Interim Appointments from the State Department, [ …". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  10. ^ "To Thomas Jefferson from John R. Smith, 5 March 1801," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-33-02-0149. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 33, 17 February–30 April 1801, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006, pp. 189–190.]
  11. ^ "Founders Online: VI. To the Senate, 6 January 1802". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  12. ^ "Founders Online: To James Madison from John E. Caldwell, 1 January 1802 (Abstra …". founders.archives.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  13. ^ "To James Madison from John E. Caldwell, 1 January 1802," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/02-91-02-0246. [This document from The Papers of James Madison is original to the digital edition. It was added on 9 February 2015.]
  14. ^ A history of Virginia literature. Kevin J. Hayes. New York. 2015. p. 152. ISBN 978-1-107-05777-7. OCLC 903688822.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. ^ "John Edwards Caldwell Obituary". Rochester Telegraph. April 6, 1819.
  16. ^ "John Edwards Caldwell". npg.si.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  17. ^ Saint-Mémin, Charles B. J. Févret de (1799), John Edwards Caldwell, retrieved 2024-05-02
  18. ^ "LC Catalog – No Connections Available". catalog.loc.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  19. ^ "A tour through part of Virginia, in the summer of 1808: in a series of letters, including an account of Harper's Ferry, the Natural Bridge, the new discovery called Weir's Cave, Monticello, and the different medicinal springs, hot and coldbaths, visited by the author – Digital Collections – National Library of Medicine". collections.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  20. ^ "Extract from A Tour Through Part of Virginia in the Summer of 1808, by John Edwards Caldwell, 1809 [Quote] | Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters". tjrs.monticello.org. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  21. ^ "John Edwards Caldwell | Jefferson Quotes & Family Letters". tjrs.monticello.org. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  22. ^ "Scenes from a Cave Tour, 1808 with Additional Note – Regency Society of Virginia". www.varegency.org. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
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