Archibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and Princeton Theological Seminary professor. He was President of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia for nine years and Princeton Theological Seminary's first professor for 39 years, from 1812 to 1851. Archibald Alexander was born on April 17, 1772, in South River, Rockbridge County, Virginia, as the son of William Alexander, a prosperous farmer. He was raised under the teaching and ministry of Presbyterian preacher William Graham (1745-1799), who had received theological training from John Witherspoon. His grandfather, who was of Scottish heritage, arrived in Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1736 and migrated to Virginia after two years. William, Archibald's father, was a farmer and businessman. His nephew was William Alexander Caruthers, an American novelist (1802-1846). On October 1, 1791, he was licensed to preach, ordained by the Hanover presbytery on June 9, 1794, and served as an itinerant pastor in Charlotte and Prince Edward counties for the next seven years. By the age of 21, Alexander had become a Presbyterian Church preacher.
