John Howard Raymond (March 7, 1814August 14, 1878) was a United States educator. He was the first president of the

Polytechnic Institute of New York University The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

, and, as president and professor, also lent his hand to organizing

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

in its early years.

Biography

He was born on March 7, 1814, in Manhattan, New York City. He was a student at Columbia, which he entered at age 14. As a student at Columbia, he was top ranked for some time, but his performance eventually became such that he was expelled. He finally graduated at

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 1832. Immediately thereafter he entered upon the study of the law in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

. His religious inclinations led him to abandon this pursuit, and in 1834 he entered the theological seminary at

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...

, with the intention of preparing for the

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 compe ...

ministry. His progress in the study of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

was so marked that before his graduation he was appointed a tutor in that language. In 1839 he was raised to the chair of rhetoric and English literature at the seminary, which in 1846 changed its name to Madison University, and later (1890) took the name Colgate University. During his ten years as a professor there, he enjoyed a constantly growing reputation as a teacher and orator. In 1850 he accepted the professorship of belles-lettres in the newly established

Rochester University Rochester University (formerly Rochester College) is a private Christian college in Rochester Hills, Michigan. It was founded by members of the Churches of Christ in 1959. Rochester University is primarily undergraduate (though it offers so ...

. In 1856 he was selected to organize the Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and accomplished the task with great success. He joined the first board of trustees for Vassar College of

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

, in 1861, and was raised to the presidency there in 1865 to again apply his organizational skills. He was also professor of mental and moral philosophy at Vassar. His varied gifts and accomplishments found scope for their highest exercise in these roles. He had accepted the presidency at Vassar despite his recent resignation from the Polytechnic presidency due to health concerns. He died on August 14, 1878, in

Legacy

Though an able and eloquent preacher, ministering regularly as chaplain of the college, he was never ordained. His published works were confined to pamphlets and sermons. He received the honorary degree of LL. D. His ''Life and Letters'' were published in New York in 1880.

Family

His nephew Rossiter Worthington Raymond was a noted mining engineer and writer.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raymond, John Howard 1814 births 1878 deaths Vassar College faculty Members of the Vassar College Board of Trustees Colgate University faculty Colgate University alumni Union College (New York) alumni University of Rochester faculty Polytechnic Institute of New York University faculty Presidents of Vassar College