History of Statesville, (Iredell County) North Carolina United States of America

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Biographies:

Alexander Means Biographical Sketch

Alexander Means, educator, was born in Statesville, N.C., Feb. 6, 1801. He attended the academy in Statesville, 1815-19; taught school, 1820-25; attended medical lectures at Transylvania university, Lexington, Ky., and practised medicine in Putnam county, and at Covington, Ga., until 1833. He was licensed as a Methodist preacher in 1828; was principal of the Georgia Conference Manual Labor school at Covington, 1834-38; attended Jefferson Medical college, Philadelphia, 1838-39; was professor of physics in Emory college, Ga., 1838-55 and 1865-88; professor of chemistry and pharmacy in Georgia Medical college, Augusta, 1840-59; president of the Masonic Female college, Covington, Ga., 1853-54, and of Emory college, 1854-55. He was also professor of chemistry in Atlanta Medical college, 1855-67. As a member of the Georgia secession convention of 1861, he voted against secession, but he remained loyal to the south during the civil war. He was agricultural chemist for Georgia, with headquarters at Savannah, 1868-77. He received the honorary degrees: M.D. from the Augusta Medical college, 1841; D.D. from Emory, 1854, and LL.D. from Emory, 1858. He contributed papers to periodicals, and is the author of the Centennial of Chemistry and A Cluster of Poems for the Home and Heart. He died in Oxford, Ga., June 5, 1883.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor