Amos Eaton (May 17, 1776 – May 10, 1842) was an American

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

, and educator who is considered the founder of the modern scientific prospectus in education, which was a radical departure from the American liberal arts tradition of

classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

, lecture, and recitation. Eaton co-founded the Rensselaer School in 1824 with Stephen van Rensselaer III "in the application of science to the common purposes of life". His books in the eighteenth century were among the first published for which a systematic treatment of the United States was attempted, and in a language that all could read. His teaching laboratory for botany in the 1820s was the first of its kind in the country. Eaton's popular lectures and writings inspired numerous thinkers, in particular women, whom he encouraged to attend his public talks on experimental philosophy.

Emma Willard Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was an American woman's education activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women's higher education, the Emma Willard S ...

would found the

Troy Female Seminary The Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women, located in Troy, New York, on Mount Ida, offering grades 9– ...

(Emma Willard School), and Mary Mason Lyon, the

Mount Holyoke Female Seminary Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

(Mount Holyoke College). Eaton held the rank of senior professor at Rensselaer until his death in 1842.

Life

Amos Eaton was born at

Chatham, New York Chatham is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 4,104 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census. The town has a village also called Chatham on its southern town line. The town is at the northern border of ...

on May 17, 1776. His father, Captain Abel Eaton was a farmer of comfortable means. He belonged to a family that traced its lineage to John Eaton, who arrived from

Dover, England Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidston ...

in 1635, settling two years later in Dedham,

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as th ...

. Amos Eaton showed early preference for nature, by the age of sixteen constructing his own compass and chain to survey land as a chain bearer. Eaton was sent to Williamstown with the Rev. Dr. David Potter, of Spencertown, to study at

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

. After graduating in 1799 with high marks in

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancien ...

, he married the Polly Thomas in October the same year. She died in 1802, leaving him a son. In 1805 he married Sally Cady who bore him five sons. In New York, Eaton formed an association with naturalists

David Hosack David Hosack (August 31, 1769 – December 22, 1835) was a noted American physician, botanist, and educator. He remains widely known as the doctor who tended to the fatal injuries of Alexander Hamilton after his duel with Aaron Burr in July 1 ...

and Samuel L. Mitchill and under their influence, he became committed to the natural sciences, and in particular botany. Nevertheless, Eaton pursued a legal career and arranged to study law with Elisha Williams, of Spencertown, and Josiah Ogden, of New York. In 1802 he was admitted to the bar and in 1804 received permission to practice before the Supreme Court of New York. Eaton worked as a lawyer and as a land agent in Catskill, New York. He became deeply involved in land-speculation and was charged with forgery in 1810, possibly as a result of securing a loan using property that was already mortgaged. He was found guilty and spent nearly five years in Newgate Prison, the state penitentiary at Greenwich Village. While in prison he formed a friendship with a young

John Torrey John Torrey (August 15, 1796 – March 10, 1873) was an American botanist, chemist, and physician. Throughout much of his career, he was a teacher of chemistry, often at multiple universities, while he also pursued botanical work, focusing on t ...

, whose father was a city alderman and fiscal agent for the prison. Torrey would bring Eaton books while Eaton in turn would tutor his protege in the basics of botany. In 1815 he was released with a pardon from Daniel D. Tompkins, the governor of New York. On his release in 1815, Eaton moved to

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

to take up the study of botany, chemistry and mineralogy under the tuition of

Benjamin Silliman Benjamin Silliman (August 8, 1779 – November 24, 1864) was an early American chemist and science educator. He was one of the first American professors of science, at Yale College, the first person to use the process of fractional distillation ...

and Eli Ives. He then returned to Williams College to offer a course of lectures and volunteer classes of the students on botany, mineralogy zoology, and geology and published a botanical dictionary. In 1817, he published his ''Manual of Botany for the Northern States'', the first comprehensive

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

of the area; it ultimately went through eight editions. From Williams College the lectures were extended, in the shape of courses, with practical instructions to classes, to the larger towns of New England and New York. He returned to New York in 1818 following Governor DeWitt Clinton's invitation for him to deliver a series of lectures on the state's

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

to the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

in connection with the building of the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

. Among the legislators who heard these lectures was Stephen Van Rensselaer III, who hired him to produce ''A Geological Survey of the County of Albany'', which was followed by geological surveys of much of the area through which the canal was built. Ultimately, Eaton completed a survey fifty miles wide from Buffalo to Boston. Eaton delivered talks at the Lenox Academy and the Medical College at Castleton,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, where he was appointed professor of natural history in 1820. He gave lectures and practical instructions in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, laying the foundation of the Lyceum of Natural History. In 1820 and 1821, Eaton initiated geological and agricultural surveys of Albany and Rensselaer counties, which were financed by Van Rensselaer.

Rensselaer School

After co-founding the Rensselaer School in 1824, Van Rensselaer appointed Eaton to teach chemistry, experimental philosophy, geology, surveying, and the "laws regulating town officers and jurors." By then Eaton was a well established public speaker on natural philosophy, touring and delivering lectures in the northeast. He was also a recognized pioneer in botany and principal land surveyor in the country. Eaton immediately set about to develop a new kind of institution devoted to the application of science to life, a modern scientific prospectus, new methods of instruction and examination, recognizing women in higher education, and practical training for adults. Eaton's original aim was to also train teachers and disciples, which he did in large numbers. Students learned by doing, in sharp contrast with the conventional method of learning by rote. Students were made into experimenters and workers, and, in place of recitations, delivered lectures to one another. Eaton also often led day excursions, taking students to observe the application of science on nearby farms and in workshops, tanneries, and bleaching factories. They then returned to the laboratory, analyzing the principles involved. This, too, was an innovation, as it represented a reversal of the usual pedagogical method, which began with the principle and proceeded to the application. Eaton's principal focus was the training of students to teach science and its applications to the New York farming community via experimental demonstrations, a goal in keeping with Britain's mechanics' institutes and lyceum movements on diffusing useful knowledge. As a result, Eaton's system of instruction posed a challenge, if not a threat, to the traditional liberal-arts colleges, causing them to expand their own curricula and set up departments or schools of engineering and science. Formal engineering education would not be added at Rensselaer until 1828. After becoming professor of natural history at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1842, Asa Gray required some practical work of all of his students in botany along the lines established by Amos Eaton. Eaton was interested in education for women, he had lectured them on his tour of New England, and he was persuaded that their failure in science was caused by inferior opportunity, not "perversion of female genius." Eaton, clearly hoped to educate females at the school. He believed that women were capable of learning practical science and mathematics; they simply had not been taught the subjects at traditional female academies. His commitment to the cause led Eaton to enroll a class of eight young women in a special mathematics course to show that they could advance beyond "the speculative geometry and algebra as generally practiced in female seminaries." When the students completed their course of study in 1835, Eaton requested a review of their progress by the school's less-than-enthusiastic board of examiners. The eight young ladies who participated in Eaton's experiment continued their education at the

. Eaton trained a bevy of future, notable, scientists and lectured to countless later educationists. Today Amos Eaton Hall houses the mathematics department, and the Amos Eaton Professorship is a faculty endowment named at the institute. The Amos Eaton Chair was originally given by students to Amos Eaton in 1839, but was later returned to the institute by the Eaton family.

Personal life

Following the death of his first wife, Polly Thomas, Eaton was remarried to Sally Cady in 1803, who bore him five sons. After her death he was remarried to Anna Bradley in 1816, by whom he had three sons and two daughters. She having died, Eaton married Alice Johnson in 1827, who bore him one son, and survived him about four years. Three of his children showed a preference for natural philosophy. Hezekiah Hulbert Eaton (1809-1832) became a chemist at

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

but died at the age of twenty-three. Major General

Amos Beebe Eaton Amos Beebe Eaton (May 12, 1806 – February 21, 1877) was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a general for the Union during the American Civil War. Biography Amos B. Eaton was born in Catskill, New York. He graduated from West ...

(1806-1877) was a U.S. Army officer interested in natural philosophy. Sara Cady Eaton (1818-1881) taught natural sciences and modern languages in a young woman's seminary at

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

, Illinois. Eaton's grandson, Daniel Cady Eaton (1834-1895), professed botany at

in the 1860s.

Works

Amos Eaton published on agriculture, botany, engineering, geology, surveying, and zoology. * ''Art without Science'' (1800) * ''Elementary Treatise on Botany'' (1810)
''Botanical Dictionary''
(1817) (2nd 1819, 4th ed. 1836) * ''Manual of Botany'' (1817) * ''Index to the Geology of the Northern States'' (1818) * ''Geological and Agricultural Survey of the County of Albany, New York'' (1820) * ''Chemical Notebook'' (1821) * ''Chemical Instructor'' (1822) * ''Cuvier's Grand Division'' (1822) * ''Geological Nomenclature of North America'' (1822) * ''Zoological Syllabus and Notebook'' (1822) * ''Geological and Agricultural Survey of the District adjoining the Erie Canal'' (1824) * ''Philosophical Instructor'' (1824) * ''Botanical Exercises'' (1825) * ''Botanical Grammar and Dictionary'' (1828) * ''Geological Text-Books Prepared for Popular Lectures on North American Geology'' (1830) * ''Directions for Surveying and Engineering'' (1838) * ''Geological Text-Book for the Troy Class'' (1841)

Eaton's students

* James Curtis Booth — chemist, melter and refiner at the U.S. Mint * Ezra S. Carr — medical doctor, natural scientist *

George Hammell Cook George Hammell Cook (January 5, 1818 – September 22, 1889) was the state geologist of New Jersey and vice president of Rutgers College. His geological survey of New Jersey became the predecessor for the U.S. Geological Survey. Biography He w ...

— state geologist of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and vice-president of

Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

James Dwight Dana James Dwight Dana FRS FRSE (February 12, 1813 – April 14, 1895) was an American geologist, mineralogist, volcanologist, and zoologist. He made pioneering studies of mountain-building, volcanic activity, and the origin and structure of continent ...

— Geologist, zoologist * James Eights — Antarctic explorer *

Ebenezer Emmons Ebenezer Emmons (May 16, 1799October 1, 1863), was a pioneering American geologist whose work includes the naming of the Adirondack Mountains in New York as well as a first ascent of Mount Marcy. Early life Emmons was born at Middlefield, Massa ...

— geologist; named the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

Asa Fitch Asa Fitch (February 24, 1809 – April 8, 1879) was a natural historian and entomologist from Salem, New York. His early studies were of both natural history and medicine, which he studied at the newly formed Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, ...

— natural historian and entomologist * Asa Gray — botanist * James Hall — First New York State Geologist * Joseph Henry — Developed

electromagnetism In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of ...

Eben Norton Horsford Eben Norton Horsford (27 July 1818 – 1 January 1893) was an American scientist who taught agricultural chemistry in the Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard from 1847 to 1863. Later he was known for his reformulation of baking powder, his int ...

— scientist *

Douglass Houghton Douglass Houghton (September 21, 1809 – October 13, 1845) was an American geologist and physician, primarily known for his exploration of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. It was the site of a copper boom and extensive copper mining beginnin ...

— doctor, chemist, geologist * Mary Mason Lyon — founder of

Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps (July 15, 1793 – July 15, 1884) was an American scientist, educator, author, and editor. Her botany writings influenced more early American women to be botanists, including Eunice Newton Foote and her daughter, ...

— natural scientist and educator *

John Leonard Riddell John Leonard Riddell (February 20, 1807 – October 7, 1865) was a science lecturer, botanist, geologist, medical doctor, chemist, microscopist, numismatist, politician, and science fiction author in the United States. He was born in Leyden, Massa ...

— botanist, geologist and author *

Abram Sager Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

— professor of zoology, botany, obstetrics, and physiology *

— botanist *

— founder of Troy Female Seminary

Bibliography

* Duane Isely, ''One hundred and one botanists'', Iowa State University Press (1994), p. 143-144 * Ray Palmer Baker, ''A Chapter in American Education: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1824-1924.'', Charles Scribner's Sons: NY(1924

* Palmer C. Ricketts, ''History of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute'', 1824–1934. John Wiley & Sons: NY (1934, Third Edition

*Amos Eaton, John Batchelder, and Stephen Williams lectures on medical jurisprudence. 1821–1824. Located in: Modern Manuscripts Collection, History of Medicine Division, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD; MS C 326.

References

External links

*
''An index to the geology of the northern states''
(1818) - full digital facsimile at

Linda Hall Library The Linda Hall Library is a privately endowed American library of science, engineering and technology located in Kansas City, Missouri, sitting "majestically on a urban arboretum." It is the "largest independently funded public library of scien ...

A botanical dictionary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Amos 1776 births 1842 deaths Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty Yale College alumni Williams College alumni People from Chatham, New York 19th-century American botanists Scientists from New York (state) Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Troy, New York) Educators from Dedham, Massachusetts