Whitaker, Alexander
(1585-Mar. 1617). The “Apostle of Virginia.” He was born in Cambridge, England. Whitaker received his B.A. in 1604/1605 and his M.A. from Cambridge University in 1608. He was ordained a priest in the Church of England. After serving several years in England, he came to the Virginia colony in 1611. Whitaker began his ministry in Virginia at Henrico and then extended it to Bermuda Hundreds. In 1613 he instructed and baptized the Indian princess, Pocahontas. Also in 1613 the London Company published a sermon written by him, entitled Good Newes from Virginia. In this sermon he stated the reasons for converting the Indians to Christianity and he urged people in England to support the colony. He drowned in Henrico County.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.