James Waddel Alexander

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James Waddel Alexander, was born in Virginia, 1804, the eldest son of Archibald and Jenetta Alexander. He attended his first schools in Philadelphia where his father, Archibald Alexander, served as minister of the Third Presbyterian Church. He graduated from Princeton in 1820, and studied theology in Princeton seminary. In 1824 he was appointed a tutor, and during the same year he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1833 he was appointed Professor of Rhetoric and Belles-Letters in the College of New Jersey. He presided over a number of churches in Virginia, and served as pastor of the first Presbyterian Church in Trenton, New Jersey. His published works include his sermons and a book on the life of his father. Alexander's English translation of the hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," became the most widely used version in 19th and 20th century hymnals. He died in Virginia on July 31, 1859.