Alfred Langdon Elwyn (9 July 1804 – 15 March 1884) was an American physician, author and philanthropist. He was a pioneer in the education and care of people with mental and physical disabilities. He was one of the founding officers of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind in 1833 and founded the Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children in 1852. The community of

Elwyn, Pennsylvania Elwyn is an unincorporated community located in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA. Elwyn has a latitude of 39.907N, longitude of -75.41W and an elevation of 253 feet above sea level. Elwyn is home to Elwyn Inc., a facility ca ...

and the Elwyn Institute are named in his honor.

Early life and education

Elwyn was born in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

to Thomas and Elizabeth Sherburne Langdon Elwyn. His grandfather was

John Langdon John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, the 2nd governor of New Hampshire. Elwyn graduated from

Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

in 1819 and Harvard University in 1823. He read medicine with Dr. John Gorham in Boston and in 1826 traveled to London, Edinburgh and Paris. He returned to the United States in 1829 and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1831 but never practiced medicine. On January 31, 1832, he married Mary Middleton, daughter of

James Mease James Mease (1771–1846) was a prominent American scientist, horticulturist, and physician from Philadelphia who published the first known tomato-based ketchup recipe in 1812. Early life and education Mease was born on August 11, 1771, the son of ...

and granddaughter of Pierce Butler of South Carolina. Together they had a son and daughter.

Career

Elwyn was one of the founding officers of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind in 1833. He traveled to Boston for a meeting of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

in 1849. He had promised to take a letter from Rachel Laird, a blind girl living in Philadelphia, to Laura Bridgman, who was a famous blind deaf mute in Boston. Bridgman was studying at the South Boston Institute for the Blind, and while there Elwyn visited a classroom for mentally disabled children run by teacher James Richards. Elwyn was impressed with Richards' work, and resolved to do something similar in Pennsylvania. In 1852, with Richards, Elwyn established a training school for those with mental disabilities in Germantown, Pennsylvania. In 1853, the Pennsylvania State Legislature formally chartered "The Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children" with Richards as its first superintendent in Germantown. The institution was only the third of its kind in the United States. The school soon outgrew its facilities in Germantown, and in 1857 a farm was purchased in Media, Pennsylvania to house a new facility with help from the Pennsylvania legislature. The buildings were completed in 1859 and Elwyn, Richards and 25 students moved in on September 1, 1859. The school was officially dedicated November 2, 1859 and industrialist John P. Crozer spoke at the ceremony. Elwyn became head of the school in 1870. He was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1844. In 1850, Elwyn founded the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society and

Farmers' High School Farmers' High School is a national historic district located on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University in University Park / State College, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 37 contributing buildings and 1 contributing ...

and served as president of a society for prevention of

cruelty to animals Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suf ...

. He served as treasurer of the

between 1849 and 1870. He belonged to the Academy of Natural Sciences and was a director of Girard College. He published several books including the poem ''Bonaparte'', ''Glossary of Supposed Americanisms'', ''Letters to the Hon. John Langdon, during and after the Revolution'', ''Melancholy and its Musings'' and ''A Few Hints to the City on Intemperance''. Confederate Currency $10 1861 T-24

Elwyn's son, also named Alfred Langdon Elwyn (born 1832), was as a child the subject of a portrait painted by Thomas Sully. The portrait was owned by

Edward L. Carey Edward Lawrence Carey (April 7, 1805 – June 16, 1845) was an American publisher and Aesthete, notable for co-founding the publishing firm Carey & Hart alongside Abraham Hart. Biography Edward Lawrence Carey, born April 7, 1805, was the son ...

and hung in the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. In 1862, the portrait was used on the ten dollar Confederate States banknote. The son had become an abolitionist as an adult, but his identity was unknown when the portrait was chosen.

Death and legacy

He died on March 15, 1884, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The town of

and the mentally disabled care facility

Elwyn Elwyn is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community located in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA. Elwyn has a latitude of 39.907N, longitude of -75.41W and an elevation of 253 feet above sea level. Elwyn is home to Elwy ...

are named in his honor.

Bibliography

*'' Bonaparte'', Philadelphia, 1848
Papers relating to public events in Massachusetts preceding the American revolution
1856, T.K. and P.G. Collins, Philadelphia
Glossary of supposed Americanisms
1859, J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia *
Scenes from an Atheist's Life
', 1871, J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia *''Letters to the Hon. John Langdon, during and after the Revolution'', 1880 *''Melancholy, and its Musings'', 1881 *''A Few Hints to the City on Intemperance.''

References

External links

Elwyn History

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elwyn, Alfred L. 1804 births 1884 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century American physicians 19th-century American poets American agriculturalists American animal welfare workers Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Educators of the blind Harvard University alumni Members of the American Philosophical Society People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Philanthropists from Pennsylvania Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Physicians from New Hampshire Physicians from Philadelphia Special educators