Charles W. McAlpin

A man most of whose life was happily and wholeheartedly devoted to his church, his college and his charities, Charles Williston McAlpin was born in 1865 at Lake Mahopac and brought up in Morristown, New Jersey. He went through Exeter Academy and graduated from Princeton in the class of ’88. Always a most active and enthusiastic alumnus, he served as Secretary of the University from 1901 till 1914. After some twelve years of business life he gave up his connection with his father’s firm to devote himself to charitable and religious activities especially in connection with the Brick Presbyterian church, where he was for fifteen years Clerk of the Session. He gave freely and generously of his time and money to many philanthropies, such as the Presbyterian Hospital and the International Council of the Y. M. C. A. His last notable gift was one of a hundred acres of his family estate to the Morristown Historical Park which includes the site of the camp of the Continental army when Washington had his headquarters at Morristown. One of his hobbies was the gathering of the most complete collection of Washington prints and portraits in existence. His deeply religious feeling was gracious and human in its expression, and his long and intimate friendships—one of his closest was with Woodrow Wilson—are indications of the depth and sincerity of his character.

Geoffrey Parsons
1942 Century Memorials