Ludlow, John

Ludlow, John D.D., LL.D., a (Dutch) Reformed minister, was born at Acquackanonck, now Passaic, N.J., December 13, 1793; graduated at Union College, 1814, and at the Theological Seminary, New Brunswicik, N.J., 1817. His first settlement was in the First Reformed (Dutch) Church of New Brunswick, 1817; in 1819 he was elected professor in the theological seminary at that place; in 1823 he became pastor of the First Reformed (Dutch) Church in Albany, where he sustained himself with great power as a preacher, pastor, and public man. In 1834 he was made provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and retained that position with distinguished ability until 1852, when he returned to New Brunswick as professor of ecclesiastical history and Church government in the theological seminary, and also as professor of mental philosophy in Rutgers College. He died in 1857, in the full assurance of hope and of faith. In every respect Dr. Ludlow was "a mighty man," physically, mentally, spiritually; as a theologian, a preacher, and a leader of men. He was full of power. His intellect was like his bodily frame, massive, compact, and vigorous. His will and his emotional nature were equally strong. His spirit and labors in the pulpit, in the professor's chair, at the head of the university, and in public bodies, were always direct, well ordered, and indomitable. "He adorned every relation that he sustained, and was one of the very finest specimens of intellectual and moral nobility." — Sprague, Annals; Memorial Sermons by Drs. George W. Bethune, Isaac Ferris, and W.J.R. Taylor; Corwin, Manual of the Reformed Church; N.Y. Observer (1866); American College Presidents, 43. (W.J.R.T.)