HENDERSON, ALEXANDER Scottish ecclesiastic, born at Criech, Fifeshire, graduated at the University of St. Andrews in 1603, and in 1610 was appointed professor of rhetoric and philosophy and questor of the faculty of arts. Shortly after this he was presented to the living of Leuchars. As Henderson was forced upon his parish by Archbishop George Gladstanes, and was known to sympathize with episcopacy, his settlement was at first extremely unpopular; but he subsequently became a Presbyterian in doctrine and church government, and one of the most esteemed ministers in Scotland. He was one of the petitioners againsi the "five Acts" and later against the in troduction of a service-book and canons drawn up on the model of the English prayer-book. On March 1, 1638, the public sign ing of the "National Covenant" began in Greyfriars church, Edin burgh. Henderson was mainly responsible for the final form of this document. In July of the same year he proceeded to the north to debate on the "Covenant" with the Aberdeen doctors. He was moderator of the famous Assembly which met in Glas gow on Nov. 21, 1638. Henderson was then transferred to Edinburgh; he had been at Leuchars for about 23 years, and was extremely reluctant to leave it.
While Scotland and England were preparing for the "First Bishops' War," Henderson drew up two papers, entitled respec tively The Remonstrance of the Nobility and Instructions for Defensive Arms. The first of these documents he published himself ; the second was published against his wish by John Cor bet (1603-41), a deposed minister. In the negotiations for peace at Birks after the war Henderson was one of the Scottish com missioners, and made a very favourable impression on the king. In 1640 Henderson was elected by the town council rector of Edinburgh university—an office to which he was annually re-elected till his death. The Pacification of Birks had been wrung from the king; and the Scots, seeing that he was preparing for the "Second Bishops' War," took the initiative, and pressed into England so vigorously that Charles had again to yield everything. The maturing of the treaty of peace took time, and Henderson again took part in the negotiations, first at Ripon (Oct. 1) and afterwards in London. In London he had a personal interview with the king, with the view of obtaining assistance for the Scot tish universities from the money formerly applied to the support of the bishops. On Henderson's return to Edinburgh in July 1641 the Assembly was sitting at St. Andrews. To suit the convenience of the parliament, however, it removed to Edinburgh ; Henderson was elected moderator of the Edinburgh meeting. In this Assem bly he proposed that "a confession of faith, a catechism, a direc tory for all the parts of the public worship, and a platform of government, wherein possibly England and we might agree," should be drawn up. This was unanimously approved of, and the laborious undertaking was left in Henderson's hands ; but the "notable motion" did not lead to any immediate results. During Charles's second State-visit to Scotland, in the autumn of 1641, Henderson acted as his chaplain, and managed to get the funds, formerly belonging to the bishopric of Edinburgh, applied to the metropolitan university. In 1642 Henderson, whose policy was to keep Scotland neutral in the war which had now broken out between the king and the parliament, corresponded with England on ecclesiastical topics ; and, shortly afterwards, he was sent to Oxford to mediate between the king and his parliament ; but his mission proved a failure.
At the meeting of the General Assembly held in Aug. Henderson was elected moderator for the third time. He pre sented a draft of the famous "Solemn League and Covenant," which was received with enthusiasm. Unlike the "National Covenant" of 1638, which applied to Scotland only, this docu ment was common to the two kingdoms. Henderson, Baillie, Rutherford and others were sent up to London to represent Scot land in the Assembly at Westminster. The "Solemn League and Covenant" passed the two Houses of parliament and the West minster Assembly, and thus became law for the two kingdoms. As Scottish commissioner to the Westminster Assembly, Hender son was in England from Aug. 1643 till Aug. 1646; his principal work was the drafting of the directory for public worship. Early in 1645 he was sent to Uxbridge to aid the commissioners of the two parliaments in negotiating with the king; but nothing came of the conference. In 1646 the king joined the Scottish army; and, after retiring with them to Newcastle, he sent for Henderson, and discussed with him the two systems of church government in a number of papers. Meanwhile Henderson was failing in health. He sailed to Scotland, and eight days after his arrival died, on Aug. 19, 1646. He was buried in Greyfriars churchyard, Edin burgh; and his death was the occasion of national mourning in Scotland. A document was published in London purporting to be a "Declaration of Mr. Alexander Henderson made upon his death-bed"; and, although this paper was disowned, denounced and shown to be false in the General Assembly of Aug. 1648, the document was used by Clarendon as giving the impression that Henderson had recanted. Its foundation was probably certain expressions lamenting Scottish interference in English affairs.
Henderson is one of the greatest men in the history of Scotland and, next to Knox, is certainly the most famous of Scottish ecclesiastics. He had great political genius; and his statesman ship was so influential that "he was," as Masson well observes, "a cabinet minister without office." He has made a deep mark on the history, not only of Scotland, but of England; and the existing Presbyterian churches in Scotland are largely indebted to him for the forms of their dogmas and their ecclesiastical organization. He is thus justly considered the second founder of the Reformed Church in Scotland.
See J. Aiton, Life and Times of Alexander Henderson (1836) ; T. McCrie, Life of Alexander Henderson (1836) ; J. P. Thomson, Alexan der Henderson, the Covenanter (1912) ; R. L. Orr, Alexander Hender son, Churchman and Statesman 1919) ; also The Letters and Journals of Robert Baillie (1841-42) , an exceedingly valuable work from an historical point of view; J. H. Burton, History of Scotland (2nd ed., 8 vols., 1873) ; D. Masson, Drummond of Hawthornden (1873) and Life of Milton (7 vols., ; Andrew Lang, History of Scotland, (vol. iii., 1907). Henderson's own works are chiefly contributions to current controversies, speeches and sermons.