Edward Gantt (died 1837) was an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

clergyman who served as

Chaplain of the Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(1801–1804).

Early life

Edward Gantt was born , the son of Rachel Smith and Thomas Gantt III. He received his bachelor of arts from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1762, and thereafter studied medicine with

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social refor ...

in Philadelphia and in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. He also studied at the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

where he matriculated 6 April 1767. Gantt received the degree of M.D. on this University 17 April 1767 The title description of his thesis is: Dissertatio medica inauguralis, de variolis, quam,…, ex Auctoritate Magnifici Rectoris, Davidis Ruhnkeniii, …, Eruditorum Examini submittit Eduardus Gantt, A.B. Anglo-Americanus…. - Lugduni Batavorum : Apud Theodorum Haak, 1767. - 33 p. + p. ; 4oct. Variolis = Smallpox. Later he was entering in the practice of medicine in

Somerset County, Maryland Somerset County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,620, making it the second-least populous county in Maryland. The county seat is Princess Anne. The county is p ...

. Sensing a call to ministry, he went to England where he obtained orders in 1770.

Ministry

Gantt returned home and for a time officiated in his native parish, Christ Church, Calvert County. On January 28, 1776 he began to preach at All Hallow’s Parish in Worcester County. Four years later he became rector of his native parish, and sustained himself by practicing medicine. In 1795 Gantt moved to Georgetown in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. His work in Washington continued to combine ministry and medicine as indicated by an invoice in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

Historical Association's archives; the doctor’s bill for President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

’s household dated March 22, 1802, lists the medical services provided to several servants by Dr. Edward Gantt. From President Jefferson, Dr. Gantt received a supply of

smallpox vaccine The smallpox vaccine is used to prevent smallpox infection caused by the variola virus. It is the first vaccine to have been developed against a contagious disease. In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with th ...

; soon after January 17, 1802 he vaccinated Miami chief

Little Turtle Little Turtle () (1747 July 14, 1812) was a Sagamore (chief) of the Miami people, who became one of the most famous Native American military leaders. Historian Wiley Sword calls him "perhaps the most capable Indian leader then in the Northwes ...

and a group of Miami diplomats who were in Washington, The supply sufficed to vaccinate over three hundred persons connected with the Executive Mansion.

Chaplain of the Senate

Starting on December 9, 1800 through November 6, 1804, Gantt served as

After Washington

About 1807, under the auspices of Bishop

Thomas John Claggett Thomas John Claggett (October 2, 1743 – August 2, 1816) was the first bishop of the newly formed American Episcopal Church to be consecrated on American soil and the first bishop of the recently established (1780) Diocese of Maryland. Early ...

, he went to Kentucky, in the interests of the Episcopal Church.

Personal life

Edward Gantt and Ann Stoughton Sloss, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Sloss, were married June 26, 1768, by the Rev. Thomas John Claggett, Gantt's cousin, later to be Bishop of Maryland. Their fifteen children include: Thomas Sloss Gantt, William Stoughton Gantt, Edward Sloss Gantt and Captain John Gantt (1790-1849). Gantt died near

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, 1837.General Catalogue of Princeton University 1746–1906, by Princeton University, p. 88

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gantt, Edward 1746 births 1837 deaths Chaplains of the United States Senate American Episcopal clergy People from Prince George's County, Maryland Princeton University alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from colonial Maryland 18th-century American Episcopalians 18th-century American physicians People from Somerset County, Maryland People from Calvert County, Maryland Leiden University alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians