Rev. Charles Backus Storrs (May 23, 1794 – September 15, 1833) was an American minister,

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

, and the first President of Western Reserve College and Preparatory School, now

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1967 by a merger between Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. Case ...

and

Western Reserve Academy Western Reserve Academy (WRA), or simply Reserve, is a private, midsized, coeducational boarding and day college preparatory school located in Hudson, Ohio, United States. A boarding school, Western Reserve Academy is largely a residential ...

. Storrs was born in

Longmeadow, Massachusetts Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,853 at the 2020 census. History Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated October 17, 1783. The town was originally farmland wit ...

on May 23, 1794. First studying at the College of New Jersey, present day Princeton University, from 1810 to 1813, Storrs had to drop out due to poor health. Eventually following his father and both grandfathers who were clergyman, Storrs graduated from

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambrid ...

in 1820. Two years later, in 1822, he moved into the

Western Reserve The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. Warren, Ohio was the Historic Capital in Trumbull County. T ...

region of northeastern Ohio, where he became pastor of a church in Ravenna, Ohio. In 1828, he became a professor at the newly formed Western Reserve College and Preparatory School, in

Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in northern Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan area. John Brown made his first public vow to destroy slavery here and the ci ...

. Two years later, in 1830, he was appointed as its first president. During his tenure, influenced by David Garrison's writings, he became known as a vocal

, collaborating with Western Reserve professors Elizur Wright and Beriah Green. Storrs held the office until 1833, when he had to resign due to failing health. He died on September 15, 1833, at his brother's house in

Braintree, Massachusetts Braintree () is a municipality in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is officially known as a town, but Braintree is a city with a mayor-council form of government, and it is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The populat ...

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

wrote a poem about him, " To the Memory of Charles B. Storrs".

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External links

Case Western Reserve University bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Storrs, Charles Backus 1794 births 1833 deaths American abolitionists Andover Newton Theological School alumni People from Hudson, Ohio People from Ravenna, Ohio Princeton University alumni People from Longmeadow, Massachusetts American Congregationalist ministers Western Reserve College and Preparatory School faculty Presidents of Case Western Reserve University Congregationalist abolitionists 19th-century American clergy Christian abolitionists

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