Tóth, Alexander (Sándor) (1884-1962)

Collection

Identifier: Ms. Coll. 411

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection documents the activities of Alexander (Sándor) Tóth (1884-1962), who was a Hungarian pastor in Buffalo, NY (1909-1911) and in Cleveland, OH (1911-1922), Professor of Hungarian at Franklin and Marshall College and Instructor in the Theological Seminary in Lancaster, PA, (1922-1936), Hungarian Secretary to the Board of Home Missions and Board of National Missions for the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1936-1950), and editor of the Reformátusok Lapja (1938-1959). The collection includes biographical information, publications, correspondence with students, church leaders, and pastors and congregational leaders, and meeting minutes during Mr. Tóth’s involvement with the American Hungarian Reformed Ministerial Association (1929-1959), the American Hungarian Federation (1944-1949), American Hungarian Reformed Presbyters’ Association (1946-1960), the Federation of American Hungarians (1930), and the Hungary Society of America (1927-1930).

Dates

Creation: 1912 - 1962

Biographical / Historical

Alexander Tóth was born in Körösladany, Hungary in 1884 and received his early education there. His father, also Alexander Tóth, was a Reformed Church pastor in Hungary. Alexander's graduate education was done at the University of Debrecen in Hungary where he received his divinity degree and went on to post-graduate study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. In 1909 Alexander married Rose Nagy (1884-1931) with whom he had two children. They immigrated to the United States the same year. Upon arrival, Tóth was installed as pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Buffalo, New York which he served until 1911 when he was called as pastor of the First Hungarian Reformed Church in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1922 he was called as professor of Hungarian language, history, and literature at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and at the same time served as instructor of Hungarian students in church history and practical theology at the Reformed Theological Seminary (now Lancaster Theological Seminary). These programs in the two schools served not only Hungarian students in the United States but also attracted many students from Hungary. These Hungarian programs were ended in 1936. Rev. Tóth served for many years as secretary of the western Hungarian classes of the Reformed Church in the United States and was vice president of the American Hungarian Federation.