Eugene A. Hoffman

The Very Rev. Eugene Augustus Hoffman, Dean of the General Theological Seminary, inherited from a long line of successful merchants large wealth and extraordinary business ability. These he devoted generously and effectively to the service of the Church in which he was for more than a half century an ardent worker, gradually attaining a position of commanding influence and of distinction. In early life he marked the original bent of his vigorous mind by the establishment in Philadelphia of the first men’s club in connection with his church, and by extensive personal work among the poorer classes. He had previously done what was, in a sense, pioneer service in smaller churches in New Jersey. But he was to find his most distinct field of labor in the Theological Seminary, to the headship of which he was called in 1879. There his extraordinary gift for the direction of men and of affairs, his force of character, and his liberality alike had ample scope. The result was the institution in its present pre-eminent vigor and stability. His outside activities were, however, varied and important. He was actively interested in the New York Historical Society, of which he was a President; in the American Museum of Natural History, of which he was a Fellow and a benefactor; and in numerous scientific societies. And he was a zealous member of several hunting and fishing clubs, of which the Restigouche Salmon Club was his favorite.

Edward Cary
1903 Century Association Yearbook