Agnes Baldwin Alexander
Encyclopedia
Agnes Baldwin Alexander was an American
author and leader of the Bahá'í Faith
.
. Her father was educator William DeWitt Alexander
(1833–1913) and mother was Abigail Charlotte Baldwin. Both sets of her grandparents were Christian
missionary couples: Dwight Baldwin
and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin, and William Patterson Alexander
and Mary Ann McKinney Alexander.
She became a Bahá'í in 1900 while visiting Italy
. In November 1914 she moved to Japan
, at the request of `Abdu'l-Bahá
, where she lived most of her life except during WWII and the last few years of her life when she retired to Hawaii. There she studied Esperanto
also at his request, and became a member of the Universal Esperanto Association. The rest of her life, she used her ties to Esperanto to pierce language barriers and talk to others about the Bahá'í Faith.
She was appointed a Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi
on March 27, 1957. She died January 1, 1971 in Hawaii.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and leader of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
.
Life
Agnes Baldwin Alexander was born July 21, 1875 in Honolulu when it was the Kingdom of HawaiiKingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. Her father was educator William DeWitt Alexander
William DeWitt Alexander
William DeWitt Alexander was an educator, author and linguist in the Kingdom of Hawaii and Republic of Hawaii.He then constructed maps for the Territory of Hawaii.-Life:...
(1833–1913) and mother was Abigail Charlotte Baldwin. Both sets of her grandparents were Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
missionary couples: Dwight Baldwin
Dwight Baldwin (missionary)
Dwight Baldwin was an American Christian missionary and physician on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands, during the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that founded some of the largest businesses in the islands.-Life:...
and Charlotte Fowler Baldwin, and William Patterson Alexander
William Patterson Alexander
William Patterson Alexander was an American missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii. His family continued to influence the history of Hawaii.-Life:...
and Mary Ann McKinney Alexander.
She became a Bahá'í in 1900 while visiting Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In November 1914 she moved to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, at the request of `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, where she lived most of her life except during WWII and the last few years of her life when she retired to Hawaii. There she studied Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
also at his request, and became a member of the Universal Esperanto Association. The rest of her life, she used her ties to Esperanto to pierce language barriers and talk to others about the Bahá'í Faith.
She was appointed a Hand of the Cause by Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
on March 27, 1957. She died January 1, 1971 in Hawaii.