The Clinton Liberal Institute was a

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

preparatory school established by the Universalist Church in the village of Clinton, in the Town of Kirkland, New York, in 1831, relocated to

Fort Plain, New York Fort Plain is a village in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 2,322. The village is named after a fort built during the American Revolution at the junction of the Mohawk River and its tr ...

in 1878, and remaining there until its buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1900.

History

Efforts by the Universalist Church to establish a non-denominational school in the State of New York began in 1831.Joseph Henry Allen, Richard Eddy, ''History of Universalism'', p. 486-490. The intent of these efforts was to create a school "not only for general purposes of science and literature, but with a particular view of furnishing with an education young men designed for the ministry of reconciliation", due to the perception that other Christian schools that dominated the state were "hostile to the doctrine" of Universalism. To this end, the Clinton Liberal Institute was established in Clinton, New York, and the first students were admitted in November 1831. On April 29, 1834, 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 official ...

passed a bill entitled "A A to incorporate the Clinton liberal institute", formally allowing a group of eighteen trustees to create "The Clinton Liberal Institute" as a body "for the purpose of providing a literary seminary for the public instruction and education of youth." The original building of the Institute was four stories tall (plus a basement), with a base 96 by 52 feet, built of gray stone. A separate wooden building for classes for women was two stories tall, and 40 by 25 feet. The school was placed under the visitation of the Regents of nearby

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in 1836. In 1845, after much discussion within the Universalist Church about establishing a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

in the state of New York, Reverend Thomas J. Sawyer—a leading proponent of such an establishment—took charge of the Clinton Liberal Institute. He set aside two hours per day to lecture on

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 the ...

to any students who wanted to attend, at no cost to the students. He continued to offer this additional instruction until the fall of 1853, by which time efforts were underway to open a Universalist seminary elsewhere in New York. Sawyer prepared a total of 37 students to enter the ministry during this period. In 1878, the Institute was relocated from Clinton to the facilities of the former Fort Plain Female Seminary and Collegiate Institute in

. In 1891, the Institute established a

military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

(with both male and female cadets) as part of the school, and had an armory for the storage of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

equipment. All of the Institute's buildings at the Fort Plain location were destroyed in a fire on March 25, 1900.Clinton Lee Scott, ''The Universalist Church of America: A Short History'' (1957), p. 76. The Institute's "remaining resources were then transferred to

Canton, New York Canton is an incorporated town in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Canton, the other named Rensselaer Falls. The town is named after the gr ...

, and merged with the theological school of St. Lawrence University."

Associated individuals

Notable alumni include: * Adolphus C. Bartlett, industrialist *

Clara Barton Clarissa Harlowe Barton (December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912) was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not then very ...

, founder of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

* William Biddlecome, attorney and politician *

Winchester Britton Winchester Britton (April 9, 1826 - February 13, 1886) was an American attorney and politician from New York. Early life He was born on April 9, 1828, in North Adams, Massachusetts. Named Sebre Winchester Britton, Jr., in early manhood he chan ...

, attorney and politician *

Matilda Joslyn Gage Matilda Joslyn Gage (March 24, 1826 – March 18, 1898) was an American writer and activist. She is mainly known for her contributions to women's suffrage in the United States (i.e. the right to vote) but she also campaigned for Native Americ ...

, suffragist * Francis H. Gates, politician *

Jeremiah Keck Jeremiah Keck (November 9, 1845 – July 31, 1930) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was born on November 9, 1845, in Johnstown, Fulton County, New York, the son of Isaac Keck (born 1814) and Eliza Ann (Burns) Keck (18 ...

, lawyer and politician * Philip Keck, lawyer, judge, and politician *

Simon Lake Simon Lake (September 4, 1866 – June 23, 1945) was a Quaker American mechanical engineer and naval architect who obtained over two hundred patents for advances in naval design and competed with John Philip Holland to build the first submarines f ...

, inventor of the modern submarine *

Jervis McEntee Jervis McEntee (July 14, 1828 – January 27, 1891) was an American painter of the Hudson River School. He is a somewhat lesser-known figure of the 19th-century American art world, but was the close friend and traveling companion of several of ...

, painter * Charles R. Skinner, U.S. Representative * Charles Stanford, merchant, newspaper publisher and politician *

Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Se ...

, Governor of California, U.S. Senator, and founder of

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

* Farris B. Streeter, Solicitor of the United States Treasury * George E. Williams, newspaper publisher and politician Other notable people connected to the Institute include

Caroline Soule Caroline A. Soule (, White; September 3, 1824 – December 6, 1903), was an American novelist, poet, religious writer, editor, and ordained Universalist minister, who was in 1880 the first woman to be ordained as a minister in the United Ki ...

, an American novelist, poet, religious writer, who was employed for two terms (seven months), without pay, as the principal of the female department.Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography, Caroline Soule
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References

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External links

New York Heritage Digital Collection of images from the Clinton Liberal Institute
Schools in Oneida County, New York Defunct schools in New York (state) 1831 establishments in New York (state) 1900 disestablishments in New York (state) Schools in Montgomery County, New York Defunct military academies Hamilton College (New York) St. Lawrence University Educational institutions established in 1831 Educational institutions disestablished in 1900