James Carnahan (November 15, 1775 – March 2, 1859) was an American
clergyman
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and
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 the ninth President of
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
.
Born in
Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 259,469. Its county seat is Carlisle.
Cumberland County is included in the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area.
Histo ...
, Carnahan was an 1800 graduate of the school when it was called College of New Jersey. He held positions at churches in New Jersey and New York until moving to
Georgetown, District of Columbia
Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establishm ...
in 1814 to teach school for nine years.
Alongside
John McMillan, Samuel Miller,
James Mountain,
John Watson, he was one of the earliest instructors and leaders of Canonsburg Academy (later Jefferson College and now
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries t ...
). He was one of the founders of the
Franklin Literary Society at
Jefferson College.
He took the
President of Princeton University
Princeton University, founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, is a private Ivy League research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees by ballot. The pres ...
position in 1823. In 1824, he helped to create the
Chi Phi
Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was for ...
Society, a semi-religious, semi-literary organization, which ceased activity the following year when it merged with the Philadelphian Society. During his tenure, enrollment increased from 70 to 250.
[David F. Allmendinger, Jr. The Strangeness of the American Education Society: Indigent Students and the New Charity, 1815-1840. ''History of Education Quarterly'', Vol. 11, No. 1 (Spring, 1971), pp. 3-22] After retiring in 1854, Carnahan served as a trustee of the college and as president of the board of trustees of the Theological Seminary. He died in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
.
References
External links
James Carnahan Collection, 1802-1858: Finding Aid
1775 births
1859 deaths
Washington & Jefferson College faculty
People from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Presidents of Princeton University
University and college founders
People from Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)
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