Born: July 12, 1843, Napoleon, Ohio. Died: June 14, 1901, Cleveland, Ohio. Buried: Alliance, Ohio. |
Hudson’s parents, Henry and Sarah Hudson, moved to Pennsylvania when Ralph was a boy. Soon after the outbreak of the American civil war, Ralph enlisted in the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served over three years. After discharge from the army, he became a successful music teacher. From 1872-1874, he was Professor of Vocal Music at Mount Union College, and for the next quarter century lived in the Mt. Union-Alliance, Ohio, area. For a while, he was in a real estate partnership with Rev. D. D. Waugh. However, he was best known as a hymn writer and music publisher, and for evangelism and temperance work. He was a lay preacher and member of the Mt. Union Methodist Episcopal Church, and was one of the few supporters of the Salvation Army when it struggled to gain a foothold in Alliance in the mid-1880’s.
In 1897, Hudson moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he continued to publish music, and to travel as an evangelist and temperance worker. In late May, 1901, he left Cleveland for an extensive trip to promote his latest songbook. He stopped in Upland, Indiana, to attend commencement exercises at Taylor University, where he was a trustee. He stayed there several days and delivered a lecture. Shortly after, he fell ill and died. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Local Preachers Association, the Epworth Memorial Church in Cleveland, and the Protected Home Circle.
Hudson’s works include:
Sources
Hymns
Music