- Samuel Blatchford (university president)
Samuel Blatchford (
1767 -1828 ) was the first president ofRensselaer Polytechnic Institute .Nason, Henry B., ed. "Biographical Record of the Officers and Graduates of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1824-1886", Troy, NY: William H. Young, 1887, page 28 [http://www.lib.rpi.edu/archives/e-collections/Nason,HB_1887/Part_1_bio_record_rens_officers_and_grads.pdf] ]He was born in Plymouth Dock,
Devon County, England in 1767. ["The Blatchford Memorial", New York, 1871, page 1] He was educated at the Dissenting College of Theology at Homerton, now calledHomerton College, Cambridge . He married Alicia Windeatt onMarch 25 ,1788 . OnNovember 4 ,1789 , he was ordained and became pastor of the Presbyterian Church inKingsbridge , Devon. ["The Blatchford Memorial", New York, 1871, page 9-10] In 1791, he became pastor of the church inTopsham, Devon . In 1795, he became pastor of a church in Bedford, Westchester County, New York State, and later pastor of a church inBridgeport, Connecticut . In 1804, he became pastor of the Presbyterian churches in Lansingburgh and Waterford (which later merged). He was also asked to be principal ofLansingburgh Academy . ["The Blatchford Memorial", New York, 1871, page 33] In 1905, he was appointed a trustee ofUnion College and later a member of the Board of Examiners. ["The Blatchford Memorial", New York, 1871, page 33] In 1824, Stephen van Rensselaer appointed him trustee and the first president of the Rensselaer School, which grew to become Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was given an honorary master's degree byYale College in 1798 and the degree ofDoctor of Divinity byWilliams College in 1808. ["The Blatchford Memorial", New York, 1871, page 32, 38]He died in Lansingburgh on
March 27 ,1828 .Eliphalet Nott , the president of Union College and later the third president of Rensselaer, delivered the sermon at the funeral services. His grandsonSamuel Blatchford was an attorney, judge andAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States . ["Samuel Blatchford." "Dictionary of American Biography" Base Set. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928-1936. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.]s-start s-aca s-new|institution s-ttl|title=President of
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |years=1824 – 1828 s-aft|after=John Chester endReferences
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