John Edwards Caldwell (February 2, 1769March 9, 1819) was an American author, philanthropist, and politician who co-founded the American Bible Society and the Christian Herald.
Early life and family Caldwell was born in 1769, the son of James Caldwell and Hannah Ogden. His father was a Presbyterian minister who played a prominent part in the American Revolution and was known as the "Fighting Parson". Caldwell's family home was burned by Loyalists in 1780.
After his father's murder in 1781, Caldwell was placed under the care of his legal guardian Elias Boudinot, who sent him to live in the home of Rev. Alexander MacWhorter. Caldwell was later adopted by Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, who took him with his family upon his return to France in 1782. Caldwell was educated in a French boarding school during that period. In 1785, Caldwell and the family of Lafayette dined with John Adams."21st.," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/03-01-02-0007-0004-0014. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Diary of John Quincy Adams, vol. 1, November 1779 – March 1786, ed. Robert J. Taylor and Marc Friedlaender. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981, p. 225.] In 1791, Caldwell returned to America and settled in Philadelphia, where his guardian Boudinot was living.
Marriage In 1801, Caldwell married Hanna Wyck, and they had one daughter.
Career In June 1801, Caldwell received a recess appointment by President Thomas Jefferson as Consular Agent for the West Indies and San Domingo. His appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate in January 1802."To Thomas Jefferson from John R. Smith, 5 March 1801," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-33-02-0149. [Original source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, vol. 33, 17 February–30 April 1801, ed. Barbara B. Oberg. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006, pp. 189–190.] In 1802, he wrote to then-Secretary of State James Madison and provided an account of American vessels in port."To James Madison from John E. Caldwell, 1 January 1802," Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/02-91-02-0246. [This document from The Papers of James Madison is original to the digital edition. It was added on 9 February 2015.] Caldwell later moved to New York City.
Caldwell was an early founder of the American Bible Society. In 1816, he made a founding donation to the society of $10,000. Caldwell was also the founder of the Christian Herald, and he served as editor and publisher of the first five volumes.
In 1809, Caldwell published his first book, A Tour through Part of Virginia, In the Summer of 1808.
Death and legacy Caldwell died in 1819 aged 50. He is buried at Middle Dutch Church.
His portrait is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery. The John Edwards Caldwell Papers are in the permanent collection of the Library of Congress, and his 1809 book A Tour through Part of Virginia is in the collection of the United States National Library of Medicine.
Works
A Tour through Part of Virginia, In the Summer of 1808, 1809. Some Account of the Islands of the Azores, 1809. Scenes from a Cave Tour, 1808. The Christian Herald: Volume I, 1816. The Christian Herald: Volume II, 1816. The Christian Herald: Volume III, 1817. The Christian Herald: Volume IV, 1817. The Christian Herald: Volume V, 1818.
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