Samuel Fisher (June 30, 1777 – 1856) was an American clergyman and educator. His father, serving in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

, died of disease just before his birth. His mother was living at the time with her brother-in-law, Dr. Samuel Ware, in

Sunderland, Massachusetts Sunderland is a town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The wo ...

. He lived for a few years with his mother in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

, and in 1782 went to Conway, to live with his uncle, Dr. Ware, who had adopted him, and where he remained till he went to college. He studied at

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, 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 col ...

, graduating in 1799. He taught school in Conway and then became head of

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admissi ...

in 1800. He was next a tutor at

from 1801 to 1803, meanwhile studying divinity. He met his future wife Alice Cogswell in 1802 and they married in 1805. Her cousin of the same name was the inspiration for the founding of the first school for the deaf in the United States. Fisher and his wife had six children. She died in 1850. He received a license to preach from the Berkshire Association in 1804 and was ordained as a pastor in

Wilton, Connecticut Wilton is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 18,503. In 2017, it was the sixth-wealthiest town per capita in Connecticut, the wealthiest U.S. state per capita. Officially recog ...

. A series of pastorates in New York and New Jersey followed. Meanwhile, Fisher received a doctorate in divinity from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1827. He became embroiled in the

Old School-New School Controversy Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

that divided the

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was the first national Presbyterian denomination in the United States, existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year, the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North Americ ...

. He was elected the first moderator of the New School General Assembly at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1838. He died on December 27, 1856, in

Succasunna, New Jersey Succasunna is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Roxbury Township, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, serving as its downtown and population center, having a population of 9,152 people as of ...

, and was buried New Year's Day, 1857, in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.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 ...

References

* , pg. 116. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Samuel 1777 births 1857 deaths Heads of Deerfield Academy Williams College alumni Princeton University alumni 19th-century Presbyterian ministers Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers People from Morris County, New Jersey Educators from New Jersey Clergy from Dedham, Massachusetts Educators from Dedham, Massachusetts 19th-century American clergy