Urian Oakes (1631 – July 25, 1681) was an
English
English usually refers to:
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* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
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-born American
Congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
minister and educator who served as the fourth president of
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 ...
.
Early life
The son of Edward and Jane Oakes, he was born in England in 1631 or 1632, and went, when a child, with his father to
by the year 1640;
Thomas Oakes was his brother. He graduated 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 1649. Oakes returned to England during the time of the Commonwealth, and became a minister at
Titchfield
Titchfield is a village in southern Hampshire, by the River Meon. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market. Near to the village are the ruins of Titch ...
. He married, probably in England, to an unknown wife. He was one of many clergymen ejected from their
living
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* Hu ...
in 1662 as a result of the
Act of Uniformity.
Oakes found work as a schoolteacher and nonconformist minister.
Connection with Harvard
Oakes' wife died in 1669. Two years later a deputation, sent to England to find a minister for the vacant church of
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
, chose Oakes. He took up the post in November 1671, and soon after he became one of the governors of Harvard College.
Leonard Hoar
Leonard Hoar (1630 – November 28, 1675) was an English-born American Congregational minister and educator, who spent a short and troubled term as President of Harvard College.
Life
Born in Gloucestershire about 1630, he was the fourth son of ...
became President of Harvard in 1672, but was disliked by many, including some of the governors, among them Oakes. He and other of his colleagues resigned, and, in spite of the efforts of the general court of overseers, would not withdraw their resignation till Hoar himself vacated the presidency on 15 March 1675. The vacancy created was filled by the appointment of Oakes. He, however, would only accept it provisionally; but after discharging the duties of the office for four years, he in 1679 accepted the full appointment in form, and held it till his death in Cambridge on July 25, 1681. Calamy states that Oakes was noted for 'the uncommon sweetness of his temper,' and in New England he was greatly beloved by his congregation and popular with all who came in contact with him.
Legacy
He was known as a preacher and Latinist. His extant writings are three sermons—two preached at the annual election of the artillery company in 1672 and 1676, and the third at the election of representatives in 1673—and a monody in English verse (Cambridge, 1677) on the death of Thomas Shepard, minister of the church in
Charlestown.
[History of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630-1877, by Lucius R. Paige, Boston: H.O. Houghton and Company (1877) p. 616-7]
References
Attribution'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakes, Urian
1631 births
1681 deaths
Presidents of Harvard University
Harvard College alumni
Ejected English ministers of 1662
Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony