HAMPDEN, RENN DICKSON English divine, bishop of Hereford, was born in Barbados, where his father was colonel of militia, and was educated at Oriel College, Oxford. After holding various curacies he returned to Oxford in 1829 and was Bampton lecturer in 1832. His lectures, The Scholastic Philosophy in its relation to Christian Theology, were printed in 1833. He became principal of St. Mary's Hall (1833), professor of moral philosophy (1834) and Regius professor of divinity (1836). His nomination by Lord John Russell to the vacant see of Hereford in 1847 was the signal for a violent and organized opposition on account of his supposed Arian leanings; and his consecration in March 1848 took place in spite of a remonstrance by many of the bishops and the resistance of Dr. John Mere wether, the dean of Hereford, who voted against the election when the conge d'elire reached the chapter. Among the more important of Hampden's later writings were the articles on Aristotle, Plato and Socrates, contributed to the eighth edition of the Encyclope dia Britannica, and afterwards reprinted with additions under the title of The Fathers of Greek Philosophy (Edinburgh, 1862). He died in London on April 23, 1868.
See Henrietta Hampden, Some Memorials of R. D. Hampden (1871). HAMPDEN, WALTER (1879- ), American actor, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 3o, 1879. After graduating from Brooklyn Polytechnic institute in 190o he spent a year in study at Paris and then joined Frank R. Benson's company in classical repertoire in England, where he made his first stage appearance. With this company, then noted as a training school for actors, Hampden remained three years, playing more than 7o roles, chiefly in Shakespearian plays. Following this he was engaged for three seasons as leading man in the Adelphi theatre, London, where in 1905 he first acted Hamlet, succeeding the younger Irving in the role. Returning to America in 1907 he created an impression by his rendition of the title roles in The Master Builder and The Servant in the House. Later he gave important performances in The Yellow Jacket, Salome, The Tempest and The Wayfarer and gained wider recognition by his tours in Shakespearian reper toire. In 1923-24 he revived Cyrano de Bergerac. In 1925 he leased the old Colonial theatre, in which he gave notable per formances of Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice in 19 2 5-2 6, The Immortal Thief and Caponsacchi in 1926-27 and The Enemy of the People in 1927-28. As a Shakespearian actor Hampden is ranked high, and his representation of Hamlet was generally characterized by dramatic critics as the finest in America since that of Edwin Booth.
a village of Prince Edward county, Virginia, U.S.A., Tom. S.W. of Richmond, with a population of about 35o in 1928. The nearest railroad station is Farmville, 6m. N.W., on the Norfolk and Western railway. It is the seat of Hampden-Sidney college, founded as an academy in 1775 by the Presbytery of Hanover, and incorporated as a college in 1783. Among the incorporators were Patrick Henry and James Madison. Many of its graduates have been prominent in public life and as educators and preachers.