James I. Brownson

{{Infobox clergy

| name = James Irwin Brownson, Sr.

| image = James Brownson 2.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = March 14, 1817

| birth_place = Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

| death_date =1899

| death_place = Washington, Pennsylvania

| church = Presbyterian

| other_names =

| education = Washington College
Western Theological Seminary

| ordained = October 10, 1840, at Greencastle, Pennsylvania (Presbytery of Carlisle)

| writings =

| congregations = First Presbyterian Church of Washington, Pennsylvania

| offices_held =President pro temp. of Washington & Jefferson College

| title =

| spouse =

| children = James I. Brownson

| grandchildren =

| parents =

| footnotes =

}}

James Irwin Brownson, Sr., D.D. (March 14, 1817 – 1899) was a clergyman and academic in Washington, Pennsylvania.{{cite book| title = Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania | publisher = J.H. Beers and Co.| date = 1893 | location = Chicago | pages =1486 | url = http://chartiers.com/beers-project/articles/brownson-74.html |oclc=58671925 }} He served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Washington, Pennsylvania, for over 50 years. {{cite news | title = Fifty Years a Minister. The Reverend J.I. Brownson's Golden Jubilee to be Celebrated| newspaper =New York Times | date = November 25, 1891 |quote=The Rev. James I. Brownson, D.D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church here, and distinguished as a theologian, will on Thanksgiving Day celebrate his golden jubilee, the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination. He has held his present pastorate forty-three years. The entire Washington Presbytery and about 1,500 persons who have at times been in his parish will attend the celebration.| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1891/11/25/archives/fifty-years-a-minister-the-rev-dr-ji-brownsons-golden-jubilee-to-be.html}}

Biography

He was born on March 14, 1817, in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. He was ordained by the Presbytery of Carlisle in 1840. He became minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1848.

Brownson was elected to the board of trustees of Washington College in 1849 served as President Pro Tem. there from July 13, 1852, until September 20, 1853.{{cite web| title = James I. Brownson (Pro Tem. 1852-1853)| work = U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives | publisher = Washington & Jefferson College| date = 2003-09-04| url =http://washjeff.cdmhost.com/u?/p4019coll8,29}} He was elected to serve in the consolidated board of Washington & Jefferson College after the union of the two colleges and was made President of the Board in 1882. He again served as President Pro Tem. in 1870.{{cite web| title = James I. Brownson (Pro Tem. 1870)| work = U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives| publisher = Washington & Jefferson College| date = 2003-09-04| url = http://washjeff.cdmhost.com/u?/p4019coll8,25| archive-url = https://archive.today/20120716122238/http://washjeff.cdmhost.com/u?/p4019coll8,25| url-status = dead| archive-date = July 16, 2012}} He also served as a trustee of the Washington Female Seminary and of the Western Theological Seminary (now Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.{{cite news | title = Fifty Years a Minister; The Reverend J.I. Brownson's Golden Jubilee to be Celebrated | work = The New York Times | date = 1891-11-25 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1891/11/25/archives/fifty-years-a-minister-the-rev-dr-ji-brownsons-golden-jubilee-to-be.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612163315/https://www.nytimes.com/1891/11/25/archives/fifty-years-a-minister-the-rev-dr-ji-brownsons-golden-jubilee-to-be.html | archive-date = 2018-06-12 | access-date = 2018-07-25 | url-status = bot: unknown }}

He died in 1899 in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

His son James Irwin Brownson, Jr. served as Judge of the Washington County Courts of Common Pleas and became the namesake of the Brownson House.

{{cite book | last =Eastman | first =Frank Marshall |chapter=Twenty-sevenths Judicial District | title =Courts and lawyers of Pennsylvania: a history, 1623-1923| volume=3 | publisher =American Historical Society, Inc. | year=1922 | page =726| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=TPwLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA726}}