William Greenough Thayer (December 24, 1863 – November 27, 1934) was an American
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, headmaster of
St. Mark's School from 1894 to 1930.
Early life
Thayer was born in
New Brighton,
Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places:
Australia
*Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division
Canada
*Richmond County, Nova Scotia
United Kingdom
*Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England
United States
...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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* '' ...
, the son of Robert Helyer Thayer, a hardware merchant and ship chandler, and Hannah Appleton.
After graduating from
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
in 1885, he attended the
Union Theological Seminary and
Episcopal Theological School
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
(Cambridge), he was ordained an
Episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
minister.
Career
Thayer taught at
Groton School
Groton School (founded as Groton School for Boys) is a private college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Ranked as one of the top five boarding high schools in the United States in Niche (2021–2022), it is affiliated ...
, from 1889–1894, before being appointed headmaster of
St. Mark's School, a post he held for 36 years until 1930. During this period, Thayer made numerous improvements to the school and its reputation rose to be amongst the most prominent private schools in the country.
Eight or ten times in the school year, Thayer would leave school to marry his alumni. From the Time article: ''Imposing is his Record at Socialite Weddings, for Loyal St. Mark's Grooms will have no other Cleric.''
He was known by staff and students as "Twill".
Personal life
His wife was Violet Otis (January 17, 1871 – November 16, 1962), daughter of William C. and Margaret (Sigourney) Otis of Boston.
They married in Boston on June 1, 1891. They had five sons and two daughters:
#
Sigourney Thayer 1896-1944
#
Robert H. Thayer 1901-1984
# John Otis Thayer (died 1988)
External links
* Time article on his retirement in 1930
The Rev. William Greenough Thayer , Rectors and Vicars , Parish History , St. Andrew's Episcopal Church - Ayer, Massachusettsat www.standrewsayer.org Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayer, William Greenough
1863 births
1934 deaths
Amherst College alumni
People from Staten Island
Thayer family
Educators from New York City