Samuel Andrew (29 January 1656 – 24 January 1738) was an American

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

clergyman and educator.

Early life

Samuel was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, the eldest child of Samuel and Elizabeth (née White) Andrew. The elder Samuel was a merchant and shipmaster and the master builder of the first Harvard Hall. Elizabeth's step-father, a wealthy Salem merchant named George Curwin, paid for the younger Samuel's education. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1675 and received a master's degree in 1678. He then became a tutor at the college until 1684. He was elected a Fellow of the college in 1679. His students at Harvard included multiple co-founders of Yale (see below) and future Harvard president John Leverett.

Minister in Milford

Reverend Andrew was ordained minister at

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the Vill ...

on 18 November 1685, and served there for the rest of his life. When he arrived in Milford, the congregation was divided over doctrinal issues. The combination of the departure of some dissenters in the 1690s and Reverend Andrew's skills as a minister led to a revival that lasted until his death. He was one of the ministers who assembled at Saybrook in 1708 by order of the General Court for the purpose of adopting and recommending to the churches a manual of church discipline called the " Saybrook Platform".

Yale University

He was one of the ten ministers who were the founding trustees of the Collegiate School in 1701. According to Yale President Thomas Clapp, writing in 1766, Reverend Andrew and his former students Reverend James Pierpont and Reverend Samuel Russell (who was not one of the original trustees) led the effort to create the new college. One of the several motivations for the new college was concern over the liberalizing of the Harvard education by Andrew's former student, Leverett. Andrew had close ties to several of his fellow trustees. Reverend Samuel Mather was his brother-in-law. Reverend Timothy Woodbridge was a college classmate. In addition to Pierpont, Noadiah Russell and James Webb were former students. He served as the rector ''pro tempore'' of the Collegiate School between 1707 (the death of Rev. Abraham Pierson, the first rector) and 1719. During his tenure the school was renamed Yale College to honor a gift from

Elihu Yale Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was a British Americans, British-American Colonialism, colonial administrator. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Yale lived in America only as a child, and spent the rest of his life in England, Wales, a ...

, a governor of the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. Andrew continued to reside at Milford, loyal to his congregation, teaching the senior students there. He refused to move to Saybrook, Connecticut, or, after the college moved, to

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Family

His first wife was Abigail Treat (1660-1727), the daughter of Governor

Robert Treat Robert Treat (February 23, 1622July 12, 1710) was an English-born politician, military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Connecticut from 1683 to 1687 and 1689 to 1698. In 1666, he co-founded the colonial settlemen ...

and his first wife Jane Tapp. His second wife was the widow Abigail Beach. His daughter Elizabeth married the Rev. Timothy Cutler, who succeeded him as rector of Yale in 1719 and later became the first minister of Old North Church. His daughter Abigail married Governor Jonathan Law.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrew, Samuel 1656 births 1738 deaths Clergy from Cambridge, Massachusetts Educators from Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Presidents of Yale University People from colonial Connecticut People from colonial Massachusetts Yale University founders American Congregationalist ministers