William Maxwell (educator)

William Maxwell
7th President of Hampden–Sydney College
In office September 1838 – September 1844
Preceded by	Daniel Lynn Carroll
Succeeded by	Patrick J. Sparrow
Personal details
Born	February 27, 1784 Norfolk, Virginia
Died	January 10, 1857 (aged 72) James City County, Virginia
Spouse(s)	Mary F. Robertson
Alma mater	B.A. Yale University LL.B. Yale University LL.D. Hampden–Sydney College
Profession	Attorney, Senator, Educator
Religion	Presbyterian

William Maxwell (February 27, 1784 – January 10, 1857) was the seventh President of Hampden–Sydney College from 1838 to 1844.

Biography

William Maxwell was born of English parents in Norfolk, Virginia in 1784. He graduated from Yale College in 1802, studied law in Richmond, and practiced in Norfolk. In 1830 he was elected to the lower house of the legislature, and was a Virginia State Senator, 1832–38. In 1836 he was elected to the Board of Hampden–Sydney College and given a Doctorate of Laws (only the third LL.D. the College had awarded).^[1] In 1838, Maxwell accepted the presidency of Hampden–Sydney College, and continued in that position until 1844, when he resigned, and engaged in law practice in Richmond, and for a time conducted a law school.^[2] In April, 1839, Maxwell married Mary F. Robertson, daughter of Robert Robertson and sister of Colonel Harrison Robertson of Charlottesville, Va.^[3]

He was active in resurrecting the Virginia Historical Society, which had been suspended, became its librarian, and for six years (1848-1853) was editor of its organ, the "Virginia Historical Register and Literary Advertiser." He was an active member of the Bible and Colonization Society.^[4]

References

1. Squires, William Henry Tappey (1918). William Maxwell, a Virginian of Ante-Bellum Days (pdf). Richmond, VA: Editors of the Union Seminary Magazine. p. 11. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
2. Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography: Volume II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
3. "Mrs. Maxwell Dead, a Woman of Lovely Character and Nearly Ninety". The Richmond Dispatch 14. 1898-11-15. p. 2. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
4. Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1915). Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography: Volume II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.