James Ross Snowden
James Ross Snowden [1]
an eminent elder of the Presbyterian Church, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1810. For many years he was prominently connected with the affairs of Pennsylvania, having repeatedly been elected to the Legislature of the state, where he served two terms in the speaker's chair. He subsequently filled the positions of state treasurer, treasurer of the United States Mint, and assistant treasurer of the United States at Philadelphia. In 1858 he was appointed director of the United States Mint, and held that position till 1861. His connection with the mint led him to study numismatics with great thoroughness, and he was the author of several important works on the subject. In 1864 he published The Coins of the Bible and its Money Terms. In 1868 he contributed the article on the coins of the United States to Bouvier's Law Dictionary, also several addresses on currency, coinage, and other kindred subjects. He contributed a number of articles to the New York Observer on The Coins of the Bible, Evidencing the Truth of the Scripture Testimony. Mr. Snowden frequently represented the Philadelphia Presbytery in the General Assembly. He died in Hulmeville, Pa., in March, 1878. (W.P.S.)
