The James McCosh Manuscript Collection

Collection

Identifier: SCM 245

Staff Only

Scope and Content

This collection brings together various items that have been held in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library for some time. The provenance of most of these materials is not known.

The collection consists of correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera related to James McCosh. The materials have been arranged chronologically.

Dates

1843-1910

Language of Materials

English

Access

There are no special restrictions to access of this collection. It may be examined by library patrons under the normal rules and conditions of Special Collections.

Chronology

1834 April 01
: Born in Ayrshire, Scotland
1825
: Graduated from Edinburgh University
1834
: Licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Ayr
1843
: Joined Free Church movement in Scotland
1851
: Served as Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at Queen’s College, Belfast
1868-1888
: Served as President of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)
1869-1894
: Served as a Director at Princeton Theological Seminary
1888-1894
: Continued lecturing in philosophy at Princeton University
1894 November 16
: Died in Princeton, New Jersey

Biographical Information

James McCosh was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1811. He studied at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, obtaining a master's degree from the latter institution in 1825. McCosh was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Ayr in 1834 and served as a minister in the Church of Scotland at churches in Arbroath and Brechin. In 1843, he became part of the Free Church movement in Scotland.

In 1852, McCosh became professor of logic and metaphysics in Queen's College, Belfast. In 1868, he became the eleventh president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University. McCosh resigned the presidency in 1888, but continued as lecturer in philosophy until his death in 1894. McCosh was a Princeton Theological Seminary director from 1869 to 1894.

For a complete list of McCosh’s writings, see Joseph H. Dulles, McCosh Bibliography: A List of the Published Writings of the Rev. James McCosh (Princeton, 1895).