Samuel Higginbottom (27 October 1874 – 11 June 1958) was an English-born Christian

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

(now

Prayagraj Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

), India, where he founded the Allahabad Agricultural Institute. Higginbottom was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England.History
, Allahabad Agricultural Institute website

Early life

Higginbottom was born in Wales and the family moved to America. He left school early and working at different times as a butcher's boy,

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, and milk deliverer. However, he had a strong youthful interest in the Christian gospel, and resolved to become a preacher or missionary. Higginbottom attended Mount Hermon School in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

from 1894 to 1899. Higginbottom continued his education at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

and

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 the United States, receiving a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from Princeton in 1903.

Work in India

On the recommendation of Henry Forman, Higginbottom arrived in India in 1903 as part of the North India Mission of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

Church.Dr. Sam Higginbottom (1874-1958)
Allahabad Agricultural Institute website. From then until 1909 he taught economics and science in Allahabad Christian College (now Ewing Christian College). In 1904 he married Jane Ethelind Cody, of

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, who joined him in his work.Padre Sahib
''

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'', 19 September 1949 They had five children together. In 1909, he returned to the United States and spent three years studying agriculture at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, after which he went back to Allahabad, to teach scientific methods of farming. His educational programs grew into the founding of Allahabad Agricultural Institute in 1919. In 2009, Allahabad Agricultural Institute was rechristened as Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences ( SHUATS) in honour of the founder. Higginbottom wrote two books: a book about his work published in 1921 and an

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

published in 1949. While being in India, he developed close friendship with

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

and

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

He retired in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

in 1945. Higginbottom died in Frostproof, Florida at the home of his daughter, Mrs Charles Coates.

Collections

Higginbottom's papers are housed at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia.

Bibliography

*Sam Higginbottom. ''The Gospel and the Plough, Or, The Old Gospel and Modern Farming in Ancient India''. 1921. London: Central Board of Missions and Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Republished in 2006: *Sam Higginbottom. ''Sam Higginbottom, Farmer: An Autobiography''. 1949. Republished in 2007:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higginbottom, Sam English Presbyterian missionaries English emigrants to the United States Scholars from Allahabad 1874 births 1958 deaths Clergy from Manchester Presbyterian missionaries in India Northfield Mount Hermon School alumni Princeton University alumni Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences alumni Amherst College alumni Moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America