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Jonathan Maxcy | |
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| 2nd President of Brown University | |
| In office 1792–1802 | |
| Preceded by | James Manning |
| Succeeded by | Asa Messer |
| 3rd President ofUnion College | |
| In office 1802–1804 | |
| 1st President of theUniversity of South Carolina | |
| In office 1804–1820 | |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Cooper |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1768-09-02)September 2, 1768 |
| Died | June 4, 1820(1820-06-04) (aged 51) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Resting place | First Presbyterian Churchyard, Columbia |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Susanna Hopkins |
| Relations | Virgil Maxcy (brother) |
| Alma mater | The College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
| Profession | Minister University president |
Jonathan Maxcy (September 2, 1768 – June 4, 1820) was an AmericanBaptist minister and college president. He was the second president ofBrown University (then known as theCollege in the English Colony of Rhode Island & Providence Plantations), of which he was also a graduate; the third president ofUnion College; and the founding president of theUniversity of South Carolina (then known as theSouth Carolina College).
Maxcy was born 2 Sep 1768, in the town ofAttleboro,Massachusetts Bay, British American Colonies. His younger brother wasVirgil Maxcy, aMaryland political figure who was killed inthe explosion of theUSS Princeton.[1] He was educated at an academy inWrentham, Massachusetts, and then attended Brown University, from which he graduated in 1787. In 1789, he wasbaptized byJames Manning, the first president of Brown.
In 1790, Maxcy was licensed to preach byFirst Baptist Church in Providence and the next year, following Manning's death, he becamepastor of First Baptist Church. In 1796, he authored the well knownDiscourse Designed to Explain the Doctrine of Atonement which became a widely consulted work onEdwardsean theological views that found expression in theSecond Great Awakening.[2] The firstpresident of the Southern Baptist ConventionWilliam Bullein Johnson was one of Maxcy's theological protégés.[3]
While unclear whether Macxy himself owned slaves or took a position onslavery, 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.[4]
In 1789, Maxcy was elected atrustee of and appointed professor of divinity at Brown. In 1792, at only 24 years of age, he was elected presidentpro tempore 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.
ProfessorRomeo Elton 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.[5]
In 1801,Jonathan Edwards Jr., the second president of Union College inSchenectady, New York, died and Maxcy succeeded him as its third president.
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.
While president of Brown, Maxcy received the honorary degree ofD.D. fromHarvard. At Brown,Maxcy Hall built in 1895 and still in use was named for him. A building at Union College bore the nameMaxcy House from 1971 until 1990 when its name was changed toFero House. In 1827 theMaxcy Monument designed by noted architectRobert Mills was erected in the center of theHorseshoe, the main quadrangle of theUniversity of South Carolina. In 1937Maxcy College was built just north of the Horseshoe facing Pendleton Street.[6]
On 27 August 1791, Maxcy married Susanna Hopkins, daughter of CommodoreEsek Hopkins and niece of formerRoyal Governor of Rhode Island and first Brown University chancellorStephen Hopkins of Providence. They had at least 3 daughters and 4 sons.
| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of Brown University 1792–1802 | Succeeded by |
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