Robert Hett Chapman (March 15, 1771 – June 18, 1833) was a

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 ...

minister and missionary and the second president of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

Personal life

Robert Hett Chapman was born second of three children of Reverend Jedediah Chapman and his wife, Blanche Smith and was born on March 15, 1771, in Orangedale (now

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He was married to Hannah Arnett in 1797, while serving as a Presbyterian minister.

Presbyterian minister

Robert graduated from

Nassau Hall Nassau Hall, colloquially known as Old Nassau, is the oldest building at Princeton University in Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. In 1783 it served as the United States Capitol building for four months. At the time it was built ...

, now known as

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 ...

, in 1789 with his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. His next step would be to get his licenses with the Presbytery in New Jersey. After this he was installed as the pastor at the Presbyterian Church in

Rahway Rahway () is a city in southern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A bedroom community of New York City, it is centrally located in the Rahway Valley region, in the New York metropolitan area. The city is southwest of Manhattan ...

. Robert remained in Rahway from 1796 to 1799.

President of the University of North Carolina

On December 12, 1812, was elected president by the board of trustees at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Robert contributed to UNC in many ways such as “instituting Bible study for students and helped to establish a local church” He did not stay long at UNC. He gave in his letter of resignation on November 23, 1816, and his session ended immediately but was still given half of a years severance pay and was still allowed to stay in the house he lived in on the campus.

Later life

After resigning from UNC, he traveled as a minister and missionary throughout

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 ...

, where he was a pastor in Leesburg, Loudon and Winchester. He also traveled some in North Carolina and Tennessee. He “died unexpectedly of an intestinal ailment” in Winchester, Virginia on the June 18, 1833. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Tipton County, TN. In memory of Robert Hett Chapman there is a “framed silhouette” of him “in the North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill”Engstrom, p 3

References

Engstrom, Mary Claire
"Robert Hett Chapman."
Documenting the American South. 2004. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 9 Nov. 2007

UNC University of Libraries. 28 Dec. 2003. University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill. 9 Nov. 2007

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Robert Hett 1771 births 1833 deaths Leaders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill American Presbyterian ministers People from Orange, New Jersey People of colonial New Jersey Princeton University alumni