Hosea Ballou II (October 18, 1796May 27, 1861) was an American Universalist minister and the first president of

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

from 1853 to 1861. Ballou was named after his uncle and went by the name "Hosea Ballou 2d. " Publishers, friends, editors, Tufts University staff, and others generally followed this example. The title of this article reflects the more recent generational suffix usage of the Roman numeral II for those named for an uncle. Ballou used the ordinal number suffix "2d" rather than "2nd."

Life and career

Ballou was born in

Halifax, Vermont Halifax is a town in Windham County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 771. History Halifax was the second town chartered, west of the Connecticut River on May 11, 1750 by New Hampshire Governor Benni ...

. He was the son of Asahel Ballou and Martha Starr, a descendant of Comfort Starr, one of the original incorporators 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 ...

.Hosea Ballou, 2nd, First President of Tufts College, Hosea Starr Ballou, E. P. Guild & Co., Boston, 1896
/ref> Hosea Ballou II was also the grand-nephew of

Hosea Ballou Hosea Ballou D.D. (April 30, 1771 – June 7, 1852) was an American Universalist clergyman and theological writer. Originally a Baptist, he converted to Universalism in 1789. He preached in a number of towns in Vermont, New Hampshire, and ...

, and was associated with him in editing ''The Universalist Quarterly Review''. He married Clarissa Hatch in 1820, and they had seven children. Ballou promoted the establishment of

seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

for religious training, something which was at that time opposed by a number of influential Universalists including his uncle

Hosea In the Hebrew Bible, Hosea ( or ; he, הוֹשֵׁעַ – ''Hōšēaʿ'', 'Salvation'; gr, Ὡσηέ – ''Hōsēé''), son of Beeri, was an 8th-century BCE prophet in Israel and the nominal primary author of the Book of Hosea. He is t ...

. He edited or wrote for a number of Universalist publications. In 1843, he replaced Ellery Channing as a member of the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harv ...

, and retained this position until 1858.

Writings

* ''The Ancient History of Universalism, from the Time of the Apostles to the Fifth General Council'' (1829) * ''A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Universalist Societies and Families'' (1837) * "Review of the Denomination of Universalists in the United States," Universalist Expositor (1839) * ''Counsel and Encouragement: Discourses on the Conduct of Life'' (1866)

References

Notes Bibliography * Further reading * * Alan Seaburg. The First Universalist Church of Medford, Massachusetts. Billerica: Anne Miniver Press, 2013

External links

*Th
papers
of Hosea Ballou are in the Harvard Divinity School Library at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 1796 births 1861 deaths 18th-century Christian universalists 19th-century Christian universalists Clergy of the Universalist Church of America Presidents of Tufts University 19th-century American clergy {{US-academic-administrator-stub