William Alexander (bishop)

William Alexander (13 April 1824 – 12 September 1911) was an Irish poet and cleric in the Church of Ireland.

Life
He was born in Derry, the third child of the Rev. Robert Alexander. He was educated at Tonbridge School and Brasenose College, Oxford.

After holding several livings in Ireland he was made bishop of Derry and Raphoe in 1867, to which see he was nominated on 27 July and consecrated on 6 October 1867. He was the last bishop of Ireland to sit in the Westminster House of Lords before the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1871 by the Irish Church Act 1869. On 25 February 1896 he translated to become Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

He gave the Bampton Lectures in 1876. An eloquent preacher and the author of numerous theological works, including Primary Convictions, he is best known as a master of dignified and animated verse. His poems were collected in 1887 under the title of St Augustine's Holiday and other Poems.

His wife, Cecil Frances Alexander, wrote some tracts in connection with the Oxford Movement. She is known as the author of hymns such as Once in Royal David's City, All Things Bright and Beautiful and many other well known hymns. They both lived in Milltown House, Strabane. The house is now used as a school, Strabane Grammar School.

In popular culture
Bishop Alexander is mentioned as part of the procession in James Joyce's cyclops episode of Ulysses.