Samuel Dexter (October 23, 1700 – January 29, 1755) was a minister from Dedham, Massachusetts. He ministered there from May 1724 to 1755.

Personal life

Dexter was born in Malden, Massachusetts on October 23, 1700. He graduated from

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 ...

on 1720 and taught for a few years. On October 23, 1724, he married Catherine Mears of Roxbury. Together they had seven sons and four daughters. One daughter, Catherine, married the man who followed him in the Dedham pulpit,

Jason Haven Jason Haven (March 2, 1733 – May 17, 1803) was the longest serving minister of the First Church and Parish in Dedham. Personal life Haven was born on March 2, 1733, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1754. Whil ...

. He had fragile health, an extreme modesty, and "a disposition... to despondency." This made his life, he said, "very weary." He died January 29, 1755 and is buried in the

Old Village Cemetery The Old Village Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. History The first portion of the cemetery was set apart at the first recorded meeting of the settlers of Dedham on August 18, 1636, with land taken from Nicholas Phillips ...

. His son, who shared the name

Samuel Dexter Samuel Dexter (May 14, 1761May 4, 1816) was an early American statesman who served both in Congress and in the Presidential Cabinets of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Dexter was an 1881 graduate of Harvar ...

, served in the

Great and General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...

and on the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Counc ...

. His grandson, also named

, served in the administrations of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

Ministry

Before moving to Dedham, he turned down calls from churches in Yarmouth, Medford, Westborough, Hopkinton, and Brimfield. Dexter received a deathbed blessing from

Increase Mather Increase Mather (; June 21, 1639 Old Style – August 23, 1723 Old Style) was a New England Puritan clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and president of Harvard College for twenty years (1681–1701). He was influential in the administ ...

and was considered a young minister of great potential though "severely introspective and self-critical." He preached in Dedham for the first time on October 15, 1722 and was called to minister at the

First Church and Parish in Dedham First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

several times, beginning in the fall of 1723. His call was opposed by some in the community, but it was for primarily political reasons, not necessarily theological ones. He finally accepted on December 15, 1723. Dexter was ordained on May 6, 1724, and served until his death on January 29, 1755. He lived in the home of his predecessor, Joseph Belcher; his successor and son-in-law,

, would later live in it. It was across the street from the meetinghouse, the site of the present day

Allin Congregational Church Allin Congregational Church is a historic United Church of Christ church in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was built in 1818 by conservative breakaway members of Dedham's First Church and Parish in the Greek Revival style. History The preaching of ...

. During his ministry, several outlying areas of Dedham began to establish their own churches. It was then that the church, which previously had been known as the Church of Christ, began to be called First Church in Dedham. After the churches split his ministry was "calm and quiet," but before he did there were members of the community, whom he called "certain sons of ignorance and pride," who insulted him to his face. Meetings were frequently called to correct the behavior of disorderly members and this led to an ecclesiastical council in July 1725.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Samuel American clergy Clergy from Dedham, Massachusetts 1700 births 1755 deaths Harvard College alumni Burials at Old Village Cemetery People from colonial Dedham, Massachusetts 18th-century American clergy