Matthew Kugler Meigs (February 5, 1812 – October 9, 1889) was an American educator, scholar, and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

clergyman. Although best known as the founder and principal (

headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

) of

The Hill School The Hill School (commonly known as The Hill) is a coeducational preparatory boarding school located on a campus in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about northwest of Philadelphia. The Hill is part of the Ten Schools Admissions Organization (TSAO). ...

in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Meigs also served a short term as U.S.

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

Piraeus, Greece Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...

, pastored churches, and preceded his time at The Hill School with teaching posts at a variety of other secondary and university level institutions including a short term as President of Delaware College (subsequently the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

Life

Meigs was born in Albany, New York on February 5, 1812. He was the son of Major John Meigs and grandson of Seth Meigs, a Revolutionary War soldier. He married Mary Gould on April 11, 1842. Eleven children were born to them between 1844 and 1858. Son John succeeded his father as

's headmaster, serving in that position from 1876 to 1911. Newark Academy Catalogue Cover 1850

Academic studies and early career

Meigs received his undergraduate degree in languages and linguistics 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 ...

(1836) and theological training from Union Theological Seminary (1839) after which he was ordained a Presbyterian Minister. Other degrees followed including a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

. Various alumni journals, histories and obituaries concur that he was at some point also awarded the degrees of D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) and L.L.D. (Doctor of Laws). Union College specifically attributes the L.L.D. to Lafayette College in 1868. Meigs early academic career included posts at schools in

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Winchester,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, and the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He then became a teacher and principal of Newark Academy (1846-1851) before becoming president of Delaware College (1850-1851). During his time in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, he also pastored a church in Pontiac.

The Hill School and later career

Meigs' most notable legacy is in the founding of The Hill School in 1851 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania from which he retired as principal in 1876. During his tenure at The Hill, he took a brief leave of absence from 1868-1869 to serve as U.S. Consul to Piraeus, Greece. Meigs continued his interest in the church even after education became his primary professional focus. He and his family were active at the First Presbyterian Church in Pottstown. His obituaries attest to the respect accorded both his clerical standing in the church and his status as a scholar by describing him as a "well-known Presbyterian divine" and a "distinguished scholar and clergyman...a man of fine literary attainments, distinguished as a philologist" at the time of his death.

Death

Meigs died on October 9, 1889 in Clifton Springs, New York and was buried in Edgewood Cemetery in Pottstown. The New York State death certificate (#36123) and local obituaries agree on October 9 as his death date. However, the Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, The University of Delaware Archives, and The Union Theological Seminary Alumni Catalog give October 10 as date of death.

References

External links