Biography
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2. William of Albany and the "Prodigal Son"
To understand anyone requires a view of that person in context, and for William James the philosopher, this context begins to take shape with story of his grandfather William James of Albany. The elder William, virtually penniless, immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1789. However, he turned out to be a shrewd businessman who became one of the wealthiest men in the state of New York.
In part, Grandfather James's work ethic arose from a strong Calvinism, a religious sensibility which supported his desire to control his environment. William ran a strict household based on an abiding love of a powerful God who demanded effort on His behalf. But it was William's fourth son Henry James (Sr., 1811-1882) whose spirited youthful vibrancy most directly threatened the disciplined Calvinistic life his father tried to impose. As he grew up, Henry played the role of "prodigal son" by following his muse to write and philosophize rather than pursuing the study of business and law favored by his father.
Upon the death of the elder William James in 1832, Henry found himself cut out of his father's three-million-dollar fortune, the two never having reconciled their differences. Undeterred, Henry (along with his half-brother, also named William) brought suit against the estate ultimately winning a share of the bounty – approximately ten thousand dollars year.[1] This funding afforded Henry the luxury of the contemplative life he desired and to that end Henry decided to attend Princeton Theological Seminary.
Though theologically inclined and philosophically attuned, Henry was not destined for the life of a minister, nor for that matter, the life of an academic. The Calvinist strictures and self-righteousness of Princeton grew tiresome and Henry in 1837 took leave of his studies in order to travel. This would be the first of many trips to Europe that Henry would make as he exercised the restless constitution that had long defined him, a constitution he would pass on to his eldest son. By 1838 Henry was back in the States but left Princeton, turning instead to what he considered to be purely philosophical endeavors.
Before leaving seminary, however, Henry was introduced to Mary Walsh and romance ensued. But while Henry sported his own good looks and an out-going, energetic personality, Mary was by all accounts no great beauty and neither animated nor jovial. Even so (or maybe in response), Henry's passion for Mary ran deep and in 1840 they were married. This union made for a fortuitous coupling, for while Henry tended toward the excessive, Mary's practical, shrewd character kept such excesses in check.
Without need to work and with Henry's unsettled spirit, the new couple moved between Albany and New York City for several years, staying with family, in a rented flat of their own, as well as in the luxurious Astor House Hotel. It was there on January 11, 1842 that their first son William James was born, and within six years the family would be filled with four more children – Henry (1843-1916), Garth Wilkinson (1845-1883), Robertson (1846-1910), and Alice (1848-1892).
[1] Although some money was garnered within a couple of years after the death of Henry's father, the final settlement was not complete until 1846.
Source: Talisse RB, Hester DM. 2004. Lives in transition: experiencing James. In On James, chap 1. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 2-3. [Adapted by permission of the authors.]
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