Samuel Blatchford (August 1, 1767 – March 17, 1828) was the first president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Early life

Blatchford was born in

Devonport, Devon Devonport ( ), formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889. Devonport was originally one o ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on August 1, 1767. He was the oldest of four children born to Henry Blatchford and, his second wife, Mary ( nee Heath) Blatchford, who married in 1766. From his father's first marriage, he had an older half-brother, John Blatchford, "who was eminent for his piety." His younger siblings from his parents marriage were Jane Blatchford, Joseph Blatchford (who died aged five) and William Blatchford (who died in infancy). He was educated at the Dissenting College of Theology at Homerton, now called

Homerton College, Cambridge Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the col ...

Career

On November 4, 1789, he was ordained and became pastor of the Presbyterian Church in

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the ab ...

, Devon. In 1791, he became pastor of the church in

Topsham, Devon Topsham (, also ) is a town in Devon, England, located on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth. Topsham is a historic port and was designa ...

. In 1795, Blatchford moved from England to the United States, where he became pastor of a church in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, New York, and later pastor of a church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and pastor of Greenfield Hill Congregational Church in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1804, he became pastor of the Presbyterian churches in Lansingburgh and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

(which later merged).

Educational career

Upon becoming pastor of the church in Lansingburgh, Blatchford was also asked to be principal of

Lansingburgh Academy The Lansingburgh Academy was a seminary in Lansingburgh, New York. The seminary was in existence from the late 18th century to 1900, when the building that housed it was leased to the Lansingburgh School District. The building was sold to the sch ...

. In 1805, he was appointed a trustee of

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

and later a member of the Board of Examiners. In 1824, Stephen Van Rensselaer appointed him trustee and the first president of the Rensselaer School, which grew to become Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He was given an honorary master's degree by

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, ...

in 1798 and the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

of Doctor of Divinity by

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 kill ...

in 1808.

Personal life

On March 25, 1788, Blatchford was married to Alicia Windeatt (1767–1846), a daughter of Thomas Windeatt of

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and abo ...

. Together, they were the parents of seventeen children, including: * Henry Blatchford (1788–1822), a pastor of the Rehoboth and

Manokin Presbyterian Church The Manokin Presbyterian Church is a historic church located in Princess Anne, Maryland, Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland. It is a -story brick structure with a three-story entrance tower on the east end. The walls of the main section w ...

es. * Mary Milford Windeatt Blatchford (1790–1847) * Alicia Windeatt Blatchford (1791–1808). * Thomas Windeatt Blatchford (1794–1866), who married Harriet Wickes (1789–1875). * Harriet Peacock Blatchford (1795–1819). * Samuel Milford Blatchford (1797–1864), who married Betsey Hunt Kellogg (1799–1873). * Richard Milford Blatchford (1798–1875), a prominent attorney and politician in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. * John Blatchford (1799–1855), who married Frances Wickes (1805–1875) and was the first pastor at the First Presbyterian Church, Chicago. * Sophia Blatchford (1800–1875). * Frederick Blatchford (1801–1883), who married Almira Capen Jones (1803–1865). * George Edgecumb Blatchford (1803–1805), who died young. * Charles Baynham Blatchford (1804–1804), who died young. * Ethelinda Jane Blatchford (1805–1879), who married Pliny Moore Corbin (1801–1874). * George Edgecumbe Blatchford (1807–1808), who died young. * Edgecombe Heath Blatchford (1811–1853), who married Mary Ann Hubbard (1820–1864). Blatchford died in Lansingburgh on March 27, 1828.

Eliphalet Nott Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866), was a famed Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York. Early life Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 1 ...

, the president of

and later the third president of RPI, delivered the sermon at the funeral services.

Descendants

Through his son Richard, he was the grandfather of

Samuel Blatchford Samuel M. Blatchford (March 9, 1820 – July 7, 1893) was an American attorney and judge. He was most notable for his service as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from April 3, 1882 until his death in 1893. Early ...

(1820–1893), an attorney and judge who became an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Through his son Rev John Blatchford, he was the grandfather of Eliphalet Wickes Blatchford (May 31, 1826 – 1915). A great-grandson, also named Richard M. Blatchford (1859–1934), was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

who attained the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, and was a veteran of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

References

External links

*
Inventory of the Blatchford Family Papers - Additions, 1841-1947, bulk 1870-1914
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blatchford, Samuel 1767 births 1828 deaths People from Devonport, Plymouth People from Bridgeport, Connecticut Alumni of Homerton College, Cambridge Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers American Presbyterians Presidents of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Clergy from Plymouth, Devon