Francis Wayland (March 11, 1796 – September 30, 1865), was an American

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

minister, educator and

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...

. He was president of

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washington, D.C.,

Wayland Seminary Wayland Seminary was the Washington, D.C. school of the National Theological Institute. The institute was established beginning in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS). At first designed primarily for providing education and tra ...

was established in 1867, primarily to educate former slaves, and was named in his honor. (In 1899, Wayland Seminary merged with another school to become the current Virginia Union University, at

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Early life and family

Francis Wayland's father was an Englishman of the same name, who was also a

pastor. Born in New York City in 1796, Wayland graduated 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 ...

in 1813 and studied medicine in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

, under Dr. Ely Burritt. Dr. Burritt, a son of the Rev. Blackleach Burritt, graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

, class of 1800 and was licensed to practice medicine at Troy, New York, on March 29, 1802, and quickly gained recognition for his medical skills. Dr. Wayland said the following about his former teacher: "Dr. Ely Burritt was a man of remarkable logical powers of enthusiastic love of his profession, and of great and deserved confidence in his own judgment. He stood at the head of his profession in Troy, and in the neighboring region, and was a person of high moral character." Dr. Wayland also studied medicine in New York City, but in 1816 entered Andover Theological Seminary, where he was greatly influenced by Moses Stuart. He was too poor to conclude his course in

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 th ...

, and in 1817-1821 was a tutor at Union College, to which, after five years as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Boston, he returned in 1826 as professor of

natural philosophy Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancien ...

. He was one of the founders of Newton Theological Institution in 1825. He was an early advocate of the

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

and anti-slavery causes, for many years was "inspector of the state prison and Providence county jail," president of the

Prison Discipline Society A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

, and active in prison reform and local charities. He was one of the "law and order" leaders during the " Dorr Rebellion" of 1842, and was called "the first citizen of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

." One of the individuals that he supported, trained and encouraged was

Leonard Black Leonard Black (March 8, 1820 – April 28, 1883) was born a slave in Anne Arundel County, Maryland,''The Life and Sufferings of Leonard Black, a Fugitive from Slavery. Written by Himself.''
New Bedford: Benjamin Lindsey, 1847. Wayland worked hard to prevent the local Baptist denominations from splitting into pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions, but ultimately failed in this attempt. Wayland was elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1838 and the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

in 1851.

Brown presidency

In 1827 he became president of

. In the twenty-eight years of his administration he gradually built up the college, improving academic discipline, formed a library and gave scientific studies a more prominent place. He also worked for higher educational ideals outside the college, writing text-books on

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

and

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

, and promoting the free school system of

and especially (1828) of

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. His ''Thoughts on the Present Collegiate System in the United States'' (1842) and his ''Report to the Corporation of Brown University'' of 1850 pointed the way to educational reforms, particularly the introduction of industrial courses, which were only partially adopted in his lifetime. Wayland's attempts to reform Brown's medical school were met with antagonism and resistance from the school's faculty and staff to the point where they resigned, and the medical program was eliminated. Wayland was vividly remembered by members of the Brown community, including Charles T. Congdon and

James B. Angell James Burrill Angell (January 7, 1829 – April 1, 1916) was an American educator and diplomat. He is best known for being the longest-serving president of the University of Michigan, from 1871 to 1909. He represented the transition from sm ...

, who are quoted in the ''Encyclopedia Brunoniana''. Charles T. Congdon wrote in his ''Reminiscences'':

He was disobeyed with fear and trembling, and the boldest did not care to encounter his frown. He was majestic in manner, and could assume, if he pleased, a Rhadamanthine severity. It was a calamity to be called into that awful presence; and no student, of whatever character, ever made the least pretence of not being frightened at the summons. ... However loosely our tongues might wag, we thoroughly respected and even reverenced the president; and upon public occasions, when he put on his academic gown and cap, we were rather proud of his imposing appearance. ... In his later days, I have been told he exhibited marked urbanity and sweetness of disposition. Certainly there were small traces of either when any undergraduate was detected in an act of meanness or a flagrant violation of the university statutes. He had a heavy foot for a student’s door when it was not promptly opened after his official knock.

President of 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 ...

James B. Angell Class of 1849, who wrote in ''Memories of Brown'':

The discipline of the college was wholly in his hands. In administering it he was stern, at times imperious. But no graduate of his time ever failed to gain from him higher ideals of duty or lasting impulses to a noble and strenuous life. He said so many wise things to us and uttered them in so pithy and sententious a style that one could never forget them. I presume that my experience is like that of others, when I say that hardly a week of my life has passed in which I have not recalled some of his apt sayings and to my great advantage. Is there any better proof than that of the power of a teacher over his pupils?

He resigned the presidency of Brown in 1855, and served from 1857 to 1858 as pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in America, in Providence.

Role in the development of public libraries

Wayland was a long time vocal advocate for libraries. His donation to the town of Wayland,

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, in 1851 for the establishment of a public library was the catalyst for legislation in Massachusetts allowing towns to establish libraries.

Published work

Besides several volumes of sermons and addresses and the volumes already mentioned, he published: * (repeatedly revised and translated into foreign languages) * in which he advocated free trade * * debate with Rev. Richard Fuller of South Carolina* Harriet Ware founded the Children's Friend Society * *

Adoniram Judson Adoniram Judson (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850) was an American Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalist and later Particular Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Judson was ...

was a missionary to Burma *''Elements of Intellectual Philosophy'' (1854) *''Notes on the Principles and Practices of Baptist Churches'' (1857) *''Letters on the Ministry of the Gospel'' (1863) *a brief ''Memoir of Thomas Chalmers'' (1864).''The Life and Labors of Francis Wayland'' (2 vols, New York, 1867) by his sons Francis and Heman Lincoln; the shorter sketch (Boston, 1891) by James O Murray in the "American Religious Leaders" series; and an article by GC Verplanck in vol. xiv. of the ''American Journal of Education''. Other works: * * * * * * * * * *

Legacy

The town of Wayland, Massachusetts was named in his honor.

in Washington D.C., a predecessor of Virginia Union University was named for him. Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin was also named in his honor in 1855. The Wayland Day lectures at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, were named in honor of Wayland, whose writings had a lasting effect on the founder of the oldest university in Japan.

Prominent son

His son

Francis Wayland III Francis Wayland III (August 23, 1826 – January 9, 1904) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the and first dean of Yale Law School and 54th lieutenant governor of Connecticut. Early life and education Wayland was born in ...

(1826-1904) was lieutenant-governor of Connecticut from 1869–1870, and became a professor and Dean of the

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & World ...

References

Attribution: *

External links

*
"Francis Wayland: Preacher-Economist"
by Laurence Vance. Mises.org. 8 February 2007. * Francis Wayland,
The Elements of Moral Science
', (1835, 1856 ed.) * Francis Wayland,
The elements of political economy
', (1837)
Oil portrait of Francis Wayland
by Thomas Spear at University of Michigan Museum of Art {{DEFAULTSORT:Wayland, Francis 1796 births 1865 deaths 19th-century Baptists American abolitionists American Christian writers American educational theorists American temperance activists Baptist abolitionists Baptists from New York (state) Baptist philosophers American Baptist theologians Burials at North Burying Ground (Providence) Educators from New York City Members of the American Antiquarian Society Presidents of Brown University Union College (New York) alumni