Foxcroft, Thomas, 1697-1769

Epithet: of Cristall

Thomas Foxcroft received his A. B. from Harvard in 1714, and was a minister at the First Church in Boston, Mass.

Thomas Foxcroft (1696/7-1769), minister of the First Church of Boston, was born on February 26, 1696/7. He attended Harvard College as an undergraduate from 1710 to 1714 and studied a curriculum that emphasized Latin and Greek studies, and public discourse and syllogistic debate. Foxcroft graduated first in his class and delivered Salutatory Oration at the 1714 Commencement. After receiving an AB from Harvard, Foxcroft went on to receive an AM in 1717. He was ordained as a minister of the First Church of Boston on November 20, 1717, whereupon he became an ex-officio member of the Harvard Board of Overseers. Though Foxcroft was severely affected by a paralytic shock in 1736, he served as a minister until his death and was a public opponent of Arminianism. Foxcroft delivered the annual Dudleian lecture at Harvard College on May 13, 1761. Foxcroft died on June 18, 1769.

Foxcroft was a minister at the First Church in Boston, Mass.