Ebenezer Porter (May 5, 1772 – April 8, 1834), D.D., was an American minister and writer.

Early life and career

The son of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

politician and judge Thomas Porter, Ebenezer was born in

Cornwall, Connecticut Cornwall is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2020 census. History The town of Cornwall, Connecticut, is named after the county of Cornwall, England. The town was incorporated in 1740, near ...

on May 5, 1772. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1792, studied theology in

Bethlehem, Connecticut Bethlehem is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,385 at the 2020 census, down from 3,607 at the 2010 census. The town center is a historic district and a census-designated place (CDP). The town's name h ...

, and in 1796 became pastor of the

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 ...

church in

Washington, Connecticut Washington is a rural town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Washington is known for its picturesque countryside, historic architecture, and active civi ...

. In 1812 he was appointed professor of sacred rhetoric at

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

, and he was appointed the academy's president in 1827, retaining both positions until his death. In 1814 Dartmouth College awarded Porter an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.

Author

Porter published ''Young Preacher's Manual''; ''Analysis of Vocal Inflections''; ''Analysis of the Principles of Rhetorical Delivery''; ''Rhetorical Reader and Exercises''; and ''Lectures on Homilectics and Preaching, and on Public Prayer, with Sermons and Addresses''. After his death, ''The Biblical Reader'' and ''Lectures on Eloquence and Style'' were also published. Porter was also a contributor to the ''Quarterly Register'', and a translator of many sacred German poems.

Death and burial

Porter died in

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

on April 8, 1834.

External links

*This article incorporates text from the ''International Cyclopedia'' of 1890, a publication now in the public domain. *Lyman Matthews
Memoir on the Life and Character of Ebenezer Porter, D.D.
1837 *Sarah Loring Bailey
Historical Sketches of Andover
1880, page 571 {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Ebenezer 1772 births 1834 deaths American theologians American sermon writers Dartmouth College alumni People from Cornwall, Connecticut People from Andover, Massachusetts