The Biographical Dictionary of America/Abbott, Edward

ABBOTT, Edward, journalist, was born in Farmington, Me., July 15, 1841, fourth son of Jacob and Harriet (Vaughan) Abbott. He was educated at the university of the city of New York, and was graduated with the class of 1860, being class poet, prophet, marshal, and editor of the Eucleian. He studied theology at Andover, 1861-2, was ordained a Congregational minister, and served as chaplain in the public institutions of Boston, 1863-4. He then founded and became the first pastor of Pilgrim Congregational church (then Stearns chapel) at Cambridge, serving 1865-9, resigning his charge to take the associate editorship of the Congregationalist, in which work he continued from 1869 to 1878, when he accepted the editorial chair of the Literary World, continuing with that periodical until 1903. His religious views underwent a change and he accepted the tenets of the Protestant Episcopal church, was ordained a deacon in 1879, and was advanced to the priesthood in 1880. He became rector of St. James church, Cambridge, and in 1889 was elected by the general convention as bishop to Japan, but declined to serve. He was a member of the Cambridge school committee, chaplain of the Massachusetts state senate 1872-3, member of the board of visitors of Wellesley college 1884, vice-dean of the eastern convocation of Massachusetts, 1889, member of the missionary council of the P. E. church after 1886, and clerical deputy from Massachusetts to the general convention in 1892. He was married (1) Feb. 16, 1865, to Clara E. Davis, and (2) Aug. 21, 1883, to Katharine, daughter of Alfred Kelly. His degrees were conferred by the University of the City of New York, A.B., 1860, and D.D. in 1890. Among his published works are: "The Baby's Things," a story in verse (1871); "Pilgrim Lesson Papers" (1873-74); "The Conversations of Genius" (1875); "A Paragraph History of the United States" (1875); "A Paragraph History of the American Revolution," and "Revolutionary Times" (1876); "Long-Look Books" 3 vols. (1877-80); "Memoir of Jacob Abbott" in "Memorial Edition of Young Christian" (1882); "Phillips Brooks" (1900), besides contributions to American periodicals.