Religion Baptist Name Alva Woods | Died August 11, 1887, Hamilton Alma mater Harvard University | |
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Born August 13, 1794 ( 1794-08-13 ) Shoreham, Vermont Education Phillips Academy
Harvard College
Andover Theological Seminary Occupation Baptist minister;
University professor and president:
(Brown University, 1826-28; Transylvania University, 1828-31;
University of Alabama, 1831-37) | ||
Alva Woods (1794–1887) was an American minister, university professor and university president. He was interim President of Brown University, 1826–28 and President of Transylvania University, 1828-31. Of most historical significance, he served as the first President of the University of Alabama from 1831 to 1837.
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Early life
Alva Woods was born on August 13, 1794 in Shoreham, Vermont. He was raised as a Baptist. He studied at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 1813. He graduated from Harvard in 1817 and entered the Andover Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in September 1821. He was ordained in October 1821.
Career
Woods became a professor at the new Columbian College in Washington, D.C. In 1824, he became professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Brown, where he was interim President (1826–27). In 1828 he became president of Transylvania University.
In 1831 Woods accepted the presidency of the University of Alabama. He resigned from the University of Alabama in 1837, becoming a prison minister. He died in Hamilton, New York, on August 11, 1887.