Charles Wesley Emerson (1837–1908) was the founder, namesake and first president of

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. Charles Emerson was also the author of a number of books dealing with oratory and a minister with the Unitarian Church.

Life and career

Charles Wesley Emerson was born in

Pittsfield, Vermont Pittsfield is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 504 at the 2020 census. It is site of the annual Pittsfield Snowshoe Race. History Granted on November 8, 1780, the town was chartered on July 29, 1781, to Sam ...

, in 1837 to Thomas and Mary F. (Hewitt) Emerson, and he was a distant cousin of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a cham ...

. The Emersons moved to

Stockbridge, Vermont Stockbridge is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, which contains the village of Gaysville. The population was 718 at the 2020 census. Stockbridge was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in ...

, in 1845 where his father was a notable teacher. Emerson studied with Prof. Augustus Wing, and began preaching at age nineteen. Prior to establishing the college, Emerson was a minister who preached in

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

and Unitarian parishes until 1885. Emerson studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

receiving an M.D. in 1877, and he conducted courses in

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

expression Expression may refer to: Linguistics * Expression (linguistics), a word, phrase, or sentence * Fixed expression, a form of words with a specific meaning * Idiom, a type of fixed expression * Metaphorical expression, a particular word, phrase, o ...

, voice culture, art, and topics related to oratory at the Unitarian Church of

Vineland, New Jersey Vineland is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 60,780. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 61,156 ...

. In 1877, Charles Emerson enrolled in

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

's School of Oratory where he studied Delsarte and

Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had a ...

under the direction and guidance of Professor Lewis B. Monroe. Shortly after the death of Monroe and the closure of the School of Oratory at

, Emerson opened the Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory, and Dramatic Art in 1880. A year later, the name was changed to the Monroe Conservatory of Oratory, in honor of Monroe. In 1890, the name changed again to Emerson College of Oratory and was later shortened to Emerson College in 1939. During his time as president of the conservatory, Emerson published a number of books including four volumes of ''The Evolution of Expression'' which became the core text in the conservatory's curriculum. In 1900,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

and Jessie Eldridge Southwick purchased Emerson College. Emerson retired three years later and

William James Rolfe William James Rolfe, Litt.D. (December 10, 1827 – July 7, 1910) was an American educator and Shakespearean scholar. Early life and education Rolfe was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on December 10, 1827. He attended Amherst College from 18 ...

took his place as president of the college. Emerson believed that the ability to communicate was the key to achieving one's full potential. Emerson was confident that once a student completed his academic program, he would have future success, no matter what endeavor or profession they chose. Emerson is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Millis,

.http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=93604

Bibliography

* ''Psycho vox; The Emerson system of voice culture'' (1897)
''Physical Culture''
(1891) * ''Expressive Physical Culture'' (1900) * ''Evolution of Expression - Volume 1'' (1905) ** o
Project Gutenberg
*

o
Manybooks.net

Notes

Sources

Short History of Emerson College

External links

* * *
Charles Wesley Emerson
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, Charles Wesley 1837 births 1908 deaths Boston University alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Presidents of Emerson College Emerson College faculty 19th-century Unitarian clergy 20th-century Unitarian clergy American physicians Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (Millis, Massachusetts) People associated with physical culture