Alger, William Rounseville, 1822-1905

Unitarian minister and poet.

From the description of Letters and poem, 1863 Aug. 24-1872 Aug. 4. (Boston Athenaeum). WorldCat record id: 166329703

Massachusetts clergyman and author.

From the description of Note, 1847. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 31187642

American author.

From the description of ALS, [1874 August], North Hampton, N. H., to Mr. Morrell. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 63935455

William Rounseville Alger (1822-1905) attended Harvard Divinity School from 1844-1847. In 1848, he was ordained as a Unitarian minister in Roxbury, Massachusetts, where he served until 1855. He also served at the Bulfinch Street Church in Boston and, later at churches in New York, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Louisiana, and Rhode Island. He was a member of the Free Masons and was an active abolitionist, as noted in his 1857 Fourth of July address The Genius and Posture of America. He was a contributor to the publications Old and New and the Christian Examiner, the latter of which he co-edited during the 1860s. His major literary works included The Poetry of the East (1856) and A Critical History of the Doctrine of a Future Life (1860). He was interested in eschatological themes and his work contributed to the growth of the nascent study of comparative theology.

From the guide to the Alger, William Rounseville. Notebooks, 1822-1905., (Andover-Harvard Theological Library, Harvard Divinity School)