The Rev. William Emerson (May 6, 1769 – May 12, 1811) was one of Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

's leading citizens, a liberal-minded Unitarian

Unitarianism

Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....

 minister, pastor to Boston's First Church

First Church in Boston

First Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building is on 66 Marlborough Street in Boston.-History:...

 and founder of its Philosophical Society, Anthology Club

Anthology Club

The Anthology Club, or Anthology Society was organized in 1804 in Boston, Massachusetts by the Rev. William Emerson, father of Ralph Waldo Emerson....

, and Boston Athenaeum, and father to Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...

.

Biography

Emerson was born in Concord, Massachusetts

Concord, Massachusetts

Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...

, the fifth born and only son of William

William Emerson Sr.

Reverend William Emerson Sr. was a minister and grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson.Emerson Sr. served as chaplain of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and chaplain of the Continental Army. Emerson died in 1776.- External links :...

 and Phoebe (Bliss) Emerson. His father was a minister who built and inhabited The Old Manse

The Old Manse

The Old Manse is an historic manse famous for its American literary associations. It is now owned and operated as a nonprofit museum by the Trustees of Reservations...

 at Concord, chaplain to the Provincial Congress when it met at Concord in October 1774, and when war had begun a chaplain to the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

, dying of camp fever while on campaign in 1776 when Emerson was but 7 years old. Emerson married Ruth Haskins on October 25, 1796 in Boston, and with her had 8 children: Phebe Ripley Emerson, John Clark Emerson, William Emerson, Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...

, Edward Bliss Emerson, Robert Bulkeley Emerson, Charles Chauncy Emerson, and Mary Caroline Emerson.

After being ordained, Emerson became first the minister in Harvard, Massachusetts

Harvard, Massachusetts

Harvard is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. A farming community settled in 1658 and incorporated in 1732, it has been home to several non-traditional communities, such as Harvard Shaker Village and the utopian Transcendentalist center Fruitlands...

 at a yearly salary of less than $600, but then in 1799, minister of Boston's First Church for a bonus of a thousand dollars. After this initial bang, his sermons appear to have roused no great enthusiasm, as George Ticknor

George Ticknor

George Ticknor was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature....

 noted in the Christian Examiner, September, 1849: "Mr. Emerson, transplanted to the First Church in Boston six years before Mr. Buckminster

Joseph Stevens Buckminster

Joseph Stevens Buckminster was an influential Unitarian preacher in Boston, Massachusetts and a leader in bringing the German higher criticism of the Bible to America....

's settlement, possessed, on the contrary, a graceful and dignified style of speaking, which was by no means without its attraction, but he lacked the fervor that could rouse the masses, and the original resources that could command the few."

In 1804, Emerson founded the Anthology Club, a Boston literary society, and wrote articles for the club's The Monthly Anthology. This publication was the forerunner of the North American Review

North American Review

The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...

, America's leading literary journal, and the Club's reading room led to the founding in 1807 of the Boston Athenaeum.

He is buried in the First Church, in Boston.