William Emerson
William Emerson was a Unitarian minister and a significant figure in early American literature, primarily known as the father of the renowned Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1743, he faced personal hardship early in life with the death of his father, Reverend William Emerson, a patriot and chaplain during the Revolutionary War. William Emerson graduated from Harvard in 1789, later becoming a minister in Harvard, Massachusetts, where he struggled financially but engaged actively in community and civic duties. He gained recognition for his eloquent sermons, notably a patriotic address that led to his appointment at the First Church of Boston.
In addition to his pastoral work, Emerson contributed to the literary world as an editor for the magazine The Monthly Anthology and was a co-founder of the Anthology Club, which helped establish the Boston Athenaeum. He was also involved in various organizations, reflecting his diverse interests in literature, music, and civic engagement. Despite his relatively short life, cut short by illness at the age of 42, his legacy includes a significant literary work, An Historical Sketch of the First Church in Boston, which was published posthumously. His influence extended beyond his lifetime, particularly through his son, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who became a pivotal figure in American thought and literature.
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Subject Terms
William Emerson
Writer
- Born: May 6, 1769
- Birthplace: Concord, Massachusetts
- Died: May 12, 1811
Biography
William Emerson’s place in literary history is mostly as the father of his fourth child, the Transcendentalist essayist, philosopher, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. William Emerson was born in Concord, Massachusetts. His father, the Reverend William Emerson, was a patriot who served as a chaplain in the Continental Army. The Reverend Emerson died of a fever while returning from Fort Ticonderoga during the war. His mother, Phebe Bliss Emerson, remarried, choosing another clergyman, Ezra Ripley, for her spouse. Emerson largely prepared for college on his own and graduated from Harvard in 1789. After teaching for two years, he studied divinity briefly at Cambridge and became a Unitarian minister in Harvard, Massachusetts, in 1792.
By 1796, Emerson had married Ruth Haskins. His posting as pastor in Harvard did not pay well, and he and his wife made ends meet by supplementing his salary with farming and by taking in boarders. Although his interest in society, music, and literature seems to have chafed somewhat in his role as minister, he was successful as a preacher; his patriotic sermon (later printed as Piety and Arms in 1799) before the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company earned him enough notice that he was asked to become minister of the First Church of Boston. He was known as an eloquent and knowledgeable preacher. At the same time, his civic and artistic interests were diverse. He became chaplain of the Massachusetts State Senate, the overseer of Harvard College, founder of the Christian Monitor Society, cofounder of the Physiological Society, and trustee of the Boston Library Society. He was also a participatory and active member of several other social organizations, including the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Charitable Fire society, and the Boston Philosophical Society.
His two most important literary contributions during this time (not counting the birth of his son Ralph Waldo) include an editorship of the new magazine, The Monthly Anthology, which would eventually become North American Review. To help promote the journal, Emerson founded the Anthology Club; the club’s collection of books eventually founded the base for the Boston Athenaeum, one of the United States’ most prominent private libraries. Emerson’s second literary accomplishment was his book (published posthumously in 1812) An Historical Sketch of the First Church in Boston. In general, the book, although a religious tract, calls for moderation and restraint and appeals of reason. Emerson died at age forty-two of a stomach tumor. He left behind his wife and children, including his eight-year-old son Ralph Waldo Emerson.