Edward Dorr Griffin (6 January 1770 – 8 November 1837) was a

Christian minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...

and an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

who served as President of

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 ...

from 1821 to 1836 and served as the first pastor of

Park Street Church Park Street Church, founded in 1804, is a historic and active evangelical congregational megachurch in Downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The Park Street Church is a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. Typical attendance a ...

from 1811 to 1815. Waterbury, Jared Bell (1864). ''Sketches of Eloquent Preachers''. The American Tract Societ

/ref>

Life and career

Griffin was born in

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...

. His brother was the theological author George Griffin. Griffin graduated from

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 1790 as the school's first

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

student. He was licensed in 1792 and began his ministry in

New Salem, Massachusetts New Salem is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 983 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History New Salem was first settled in 1737 and was off ...

the next year. In 1795 he was ordained at the

Congregational Church 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 ...

New Hartford, Connecticut New Hartford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,658 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the New Hartford Center census-designated place (CDP). The town is mainl ...

. He earned his Doctorate of Divinity from

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 ...

in 1808 and became professor of 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. ...

the next year. In 1811 he officially became the first pastor of

in Boston where he preached a prominent series of sermons opposing New Divinity. When Griffin came to Williams College in 1821, it had two professors; one planned to move, and the other was gravely ill. Griffin raised funds and hired brothers Mark Hopkins and Albert Hopkins. He resigned in 1836 for health reasons and died in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.
(accessible on Google Books Oct. 14, 2009) * ''Sixty Sermons on Practical Subjects'' (New York, 184

(accessible on Google Books Oct. 14, 2009) *

William Buell Sprague William Buell Sprague (October 16, 1795 Andover, Connecticut - May 7, 1876 Flushing, New York) was an American Congregational and Presbyterian clergyman and compiler of ''Annals of the American Pulpit'' (nine volumes, 1857–1869), a comprehensiv ...

, Ed. (1839). ''Sermons by the Late Edward Dorr Griffin, to which is Prefixed a Memoir of His Life.'' (2 vols.) New York: M.W. Dod
accessible online
https://archive.org/details/sermonsbylaterev01grif

References

External links

*
Edward Dorr Griffin (1770–1837): Williams President 1821–1836
via Williams College 1770 births 1837 deaths Presidents of Williams College Yale College alumni {{US-academic-administrator-stub