Adonijah Strong Welch (April 12, 1821March 14, 1889) was a
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and the first president of Iowa State Agricultural College (now
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
). Welch also served as Michigan State Normal School's first principal (now
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
).
Early life
Born in
East Hampton, Connecticut
East Hampton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,717 at the 2020 census. The town center village is listed as a census-designated place (CDP). East Hampton includes the boroughs of Cobalt, Middle Had ...
, Welch moved to
Jonesville, Michigan
Jonesville is a city in Hillsdale County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,176 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first settled by brothers Benaiah and Edmund Jones, who came here from Painesville, Ohio in 1828 and purch ...
, in 1839 and graduated from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1846. Welch was admitted to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
in 1847 and became a high school principal in 1849. He spent about a year participating in the
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...
of 1849.
Career
Welch served as the first principal of Michigan State Normal School (now
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
) from 1851 to 1865. In 1859, he married Eunice P. Buckingham and they had three children.
In 1865, Welch moved to
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
, and eventually to
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...
, for unspecified health reasons. There, he established a lumber mill and engaged in orange growing. His wife, Eunice, died in 1867. In 1868, he married Mary Beaumont Dudley, with whom he had two more children.
As part of the post-Civil War
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
, Florida was readmitted to the United States in 1868. Welch was elected by the legislature to the U.S. Senate as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
. He served in the Senate for less than nine months but declined renomination.
Adonija Welch married
Mary Beaumont Welch
Mary Beaumont Welch (July 3, 1841 – January 2, 1923) was an American educator and suffragist. Welch, who taught at what later became Iowa State University, developed the first home economics classes given for college credit. She also wrote the f ...
on February 3, 1868.
Instead, he chose to accept an appointment as the first president of
Iowa State Agricultural College
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...
. He served as college president from 1869 to 1883 before resigning. Welch felt that Iowa State was a progressive institution and was proud that it allowed women to attend classes.
From 1885 until his death, Welch served as a
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
professor at Iowa State. In 1889, he died at his summer home in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
. Adonijah Welch is interred at Iowa State College Cemetery in
Ames, Iowa
Ames () is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States, located approximately north of Des Moines in central Iowa. It is best known as the home of Iowa State University (ISU), with leading agriculture, design, engineering, and veterinary medici ...
.
Welch Hall
Welch Hall, named after him, was constructed in 1895 at Michigan State Normal School (now Eastern Michigan University). Welch Hall is the second-oldest building on the EMU campus. The building is designed in the
Georgian Revival
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...
style.
The building's original name was the "Training School"; it served as the Teacher Training School from 1896 to the 1960s. During the building's lifetime, Welch has served as classroom space and various department offices. Due to poor maintenance, the building was closed during the 1980s and almost demolished. In 1984, Welch Hall was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Today, Welch Hall has been restored. It houses EMU's executive offices, which include the Office of the President.
See also
*
List of United States senators from Florida
*
United States congressional delegations from Florida
Since Florida became a U.S. state in 1845, it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years, and members of the House to two-year t ...
*
Iowa State University notables
References
*
External links
Adonijah Strong Welchat PoliticalGraveyard.com
at Iowa State e-Library
at American National Biography, published by Oxford University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Adonijah
1821 births
1889 deaths
Florida Republicans
People from East Hampton, Connecticut
Republican Party United States senators from Florida
19th-century American politicians
University of Michigan alumni
Presidents of Eastern Michigan University
Presidents of Iowa State University
19th-century American educators