Elisha Hoffman
American minister, hymn composer
Elisha Albright Hoffman (May 7, 1839 – November 25, 1929) was an American Presbyterian minister, and composer. Among his most popular and widely recognized songs are: "What a Wonderful Saviour!" "Enough for Me," "Are You Washed in the Blood?," "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms," "No Other Friend Like Jesus," "I Must Tell Jesus," and "Is Your All on the Altar?” Hoffman also assisted in the compilation and editing process of over 50 different song books.
The son of an Evangelical minister, Hoffman grew up singing sacred hymns both in church and in the home with his parents. After completing high school, Hoffman furthered his education at Union Seminary in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, and was subsequently ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1873.
Following his seminary education, Hoffman began work with the publishing branch of the Evangelical Association in Cleveland, Ohio. After serving in this position for 11 years, Hoffman held several pastoral positions in the midwest. He pastored churches in both Cleveland and Grafton, Ohio, in the 1880s; moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and the First Presbyterian Church in the mid-1890s; and finished his ministry in Cabery, Illinois, from 1911-22.
During the course of his life, Hoffman composed over 2,000 hymns, and edited over 50 song books, including: The Evergreen, 1873; Spiritual Songs for Gospel Meetings and the Sunday School, 1878; Temperance Jewels (Boston, Massachusetts: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1879); Bells of Victory (Boston, Massachusetts: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1888); Pentecostal Hymns No. 1 (Chicago, Illinois: Hope Publishing Company, 1894); Favorite Gospel Songs: A Tune Book (Jersey City, New Jersey: J. N. Davis, 1894); and Jubilant Voices (Chicago, Illinois: Hope Publishing Company, 1907).
Biography
Elisha Albright Hoffman was born May 7, 1839, in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
“Elisha Hoffman” enters the record as american minister, hymn composer. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Elisha, Hoffman and American can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5361764. VIAF identifies the subject as 9453602. The Library of Congress control number is no97062715. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1839, 1929, 1873 and 1911.
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This entry incorporates text from “Elisha Hoffman” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.