Hedge, Frederic Henry, 1805-1890

Frederic Henry Hedge was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1805, the son of Levi Hedge, a professor of logic at Harvard, and Mary Kneeland Hedge, the granddaughter of Edward Holyoke, president of Harvard (1737-1769). After spending 4 years studying in Germany he attemded Harvard University starting in 1822 and graduated in 1825. He studied theology in the Divinity School in Cambridge and was ordained in 1829. He served as pastor in West Cambridge, Massachusetts; Bangor, Maine; Providence, Rhode Island; and Brookline, Massachusetts. He contributed articles and reviews on a variety of subjects to some of the leading journals, notably the Christian Examiner, of which he was editor for four years, 1857-1861. He lived in Bangor from 1835 to 1850. He was a prominent figure not only in the clergy but throughout the social and intellectual circles of the New England of that period. He was intimately associated with the Transcendental movement from its inception. He died in 1890.

Frederic Henry Hedge (1805-1890) graduated from Harvard College in 1825 and Harvard Divinity School in 1828. Ordained to the Unitarian ministry in 1829, Rev. Hedge served parishes in West Cambridge (now Arlington ) and Brookline, Massachusetts; Bangor, Maine; and Providence, Rhode Island. He was the editor of the Christian Examiner from 1857 to 1861 and served as President of the American Unitarian Association from 1859 to 1862. Rev. Hedge also served as a professor of ecclesiastical history at Harvard Divinity School from 1857 to 1878, and as an instructor of German language and literature for Harvard College from 1872 to 1882.

Frederic Henry Hedge was an author, scholar, and Unitarian minister, affiliated with Transcendentalism. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, his father was a Harvard logic professor and ensured that his precocious son received a good education, including four years in Germany and a distinguished academic career at Harvard University and Harvard Divinity School. Hedge served as pastor at several locations in New England, and maintained a prolific output of scholarly papers and anthologies; he specialized in German language studies, but was equally adept in theology and metaphysics, as well as other topics. Along with his close friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Hedge was instrumental in developing Transcendentalism, although he later distanced himself from the group's more extreme positions. He later taught at Harvard, and is remembered for helping to popularize German literature and thought in English.

Hedge graduated from Harvard in 1825 and taught ecclesiastical history and German at Harvard.

American Unitarian clergyman.

Unitarian minister and educator. A.B. Harvard, 1825. Graduated from Harvard Divinity School, 1828. Served churches in West Cambridge, Mass., Bangor, Me., Providence, R.I., and Brookline, Mass. Editor, Christian Examiner (1857-1861); Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Harvard Divinity School (1857-1876); Professor of German Literature, Harvard College (1872-1884).

Frederick Henry Hedge was a New England author and Unitarian minister. He was an intimate of Emerson, and helped co-found the Transcendentalist movement, although he distanced himself from the movement when its religious views became controversial. Hedge was instrumental in popularizing German thought and literature in the United States, through translations and critical reviews. As a lecturer and author his accomplishments were large and diverse.

Unitarian minister and Harvard professor.

Clergyman and educator.