Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/423

 EDWARDS

EDWARDS

stitutional convention and a representative in the state legislature, 1856-60. He was speaker of the house, 1859 and 1860. Governor Kirkwood ap- pointed him as an aid on his staff in 1861 with the rank of lieutenant -colonel. In May, 1862, he went to the front as colonel of the 18th Iowa infantry. He was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers in 18&4 and was mustered out of the service in 1866. He then settled at Fort Smith, Ark., where he was appointed U.S. assessor. He was elected by the Republicans a representative in the 42d congress, taking his seat 3Iarch 4, 1871. His seat was contested by Thomas Boles, the Democratic candidate and on February 9, 1872, he was unseated.

EDWARDS, John C, governor of Missouri, was born in Kentucky. While an infant he re- moved with liis fatlier's family to Rutherford county, Tenn. He was licensed to practise law, opened an office in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and re- moved to Jefferson City, Mo. Governor Miller appointed him secretary of state in 1828 and he served imtil 1837, when he was elected judge. He was a Democratic representative in the 27th congress,. 1841-43, and was governor of Missouri, 1844-48. During his term of office he was active in raising and forwarding volunteers for the army in Mexico, and '" Doniphan's Army of the West " was the immediate result of his efficient action. He removed to California and died there in 1888.

EDWARDS, John Ellis, clergyman, was born in Guilford coimty, N.C., Aug. 1, 1814; son of Thomas and Susanna Edwards. He attended Randolph-Macon college in 1832, and in 1834 en- tered the North Carolina conference of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, south. In 1838 he was married to Elizabeth Agnes, daughter of Col. John Clark of Prince Edward county, Va. He was transferred in 1845 to the Virginia confer- ence, which for more than thirty years he repre- sented in the quadrennial sessions of the general conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. He also represented that body in the centennial conference at Baltimore in 1884. He was the first member of the general conference to advocate lay delegation. In 1857 he was elected a trustee of Randolph-Macon college, over which body he served for a long time as vice-j^res- ident, and from which he received the honoraiy degrees of A.M. and D.D. He was pre-eminent as a church builder, iiaving been connected with tlie erection of many of the largest church edi- fices in his conference. In 1865 he originated, in connection with Dr. D. S. Doggett, the Episcopal Methodist of Richmond, Va., which subse- quently became the organ of the Baltimore conference. Of his sons, Leroy Summecfield Ed- wards, A.M., became principal of one of the pub- lic schools of Richmond, Va., William Emory

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Edwards, A.M., D.D., a member of the Virginia Conference of the M.E. church, south, and Lan- don Brame Edwards, M.D., a physician of Rich- mond, Va. Besides contributions to periodical literature, he published: Life of Sev. John Wesley Chilcls (1851) ; Travels in Europe (1857) ; Confederate Soldier (1868) ; and The Log Meetinrj House (1884). He died in Lynchburg Va., March 31, 1891.

EDWARDS, Jonathan, theologian, was born in East Windsor, Conn., Oct. 5, 1703; son of the Rev. Timothy and Esther (Stoddard) Edwards; grandson of Richard and Elizai^^^th (Tuthill) Edwards, and great-grandson of William Ed- wards, the immigrant, ^^ho \^itli hi^ mother, the widow of the Rev. Richard Ed- wards of the Estab- lished church, and her second husband, James Coles, came to America and settled at Hartford, Conn., about 1640. Jonathan was the only son in a family of eleven children. He early developed the theo- logical instinct, pre- paring a paper when - but ten years of age ^^}ut/^u>i 2A in which he ridiculed C/ the idea of the soul being material. He entered Yale when twelve years old and was graduated in 1720. His favorite book while at college was Locke's " Essay on the Human Understanding," and he was proficient in natural philosophy, moral philosophy and divinity. As a boy " the doctrine of God's sovereignty " appeared to him *' a horrible doctrine," but while at college he became con- vinced of "God's absolute sovereignty and jus- tice with respect to salvation and damnation," and his experience was attended with " an inward sweet delight in God." He then, after considting with his father, united with the church and re- mained at Yale, devoting two years to the study of divinity. He preached for eight months in a Presbj-terian church in New York city. He then prepared a series of seventy resolutions, definitely outlining his theory and plan of life " which have been effective in quickening the piety of succeed- ing generations. ' ' He declined calls from several congregations and accepted a tutorship in Yale where he served, 1725-26. In 1729 he was or- dained the colleague of his grandfather, the Rev. Solomon Stoddard, at Northampton, Mass. He was married, July 28, 1727, to Sarah, daughter of the Rev. James Pierrepont, minister at New Haven. On the death of his grandfather in 1729 he continued alone in the pastorate of the church.

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