Samuel Blatchford (August 1, 1767 – March 17, 1828) was the first president of

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

Early life

Blatchford was born in

Devonport, Devon Devonport ( ), formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889. Devonport was originally one o ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on August 1, 1767. He was the oldest of four children born to Henry Blatchford and, his second wife, Mary ( nee Heath) Blatchford, who married in 1766. From his father's first marriage, he had an older half-brother, John Blatchford, "who was eminent for his piety." His younger siblings from his parents marriage were Jane Blatchford, Joseph Blatchford (who died aged five) and William Blatchford (who died in infancy). He was educated at the Dissenting College of Theology at Homerton, now called

Homerton College, Cambridge Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the col ...

Career

On November 4, 1789, he was ordained and became pastor of the Presbyterian Church in

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population ...

, Devon. In 1791, he became pastor of the church in

Topsham, Devon Topsham (, also ) is a town in Devon, England, located on the east side of the River Exe, immediately north of its confluence with the River Clyst and the former's estuary, between Exeter and Exmouth, Devon, Exmouth. Topsham is a historic port ...

. In 1795, Blatchford moved from England to the United States, where he became pastor of a church in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

, New York, and later pastor of a church in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

, and pastor of Greenfield Hill Congregational Church in Fairfield Connecticut. In 1804, he became pastor of the Presbyterian churches in Lansingburgh and

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

(which later merged).

Educational career

Upon becoming pastor of the church in Lansingburgh, Blatchford was also asked to be principal of Lansingburgh Academy. In 1805, he was appointed a trustee of

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

and later a member of the Board of Examiners. In 1824, Stephen Van Rensselaer appointed him trustee and the first president of the Rensselaer School, which grew to become

(RPI). He was given an honorary master's degree by

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1798 and the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1808.

Personal life

On March 25, 1788, Blatchford was married to Alicia Windeatt (1767–1846), a daughter of Thomas Windeatt of

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

. Together, they were the parents of seventeen children, including: * Henry Blatchford (1788–1822), a pastor of the Rehoboth and Manokin Presbyterian Churches. * Mary Milford Windeatt Blatchford (1790–1847) * Alicia Windeatt Blatchford (1791–1808). * Thomas Windeatt Blatchford (1794–1866), who married Harriet Wickes (1789–1875). * Harriet Peacock Blatchford (1795–1819). * Samuel Milford Blatchford (1797–1864), who married Betsey Hunt Kellogg (1799–1873). * Richard Milford Blatchford (1798–1875), a prominent attorney and politician in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. * John Blatchford (1799–1855), who married Frances Wickes (1805–1875) and was the first pastor at the First Presbyterian Church, Chicago. * Sophia Blatchford (1800–1875). * Frederick Blatchford (1801–1883), who married Almira Capen Jones (1803–1865). * George Edgecumb Blatchford (1803–1805), who died young. * Charles Baynham Blatchford (1804–1804), who died young. * Ethelinda Jane Blatchford (1805–1879), who married Pliny Moore Corbin (1801–1874). * George Edgecumbe Blatchford (1807–1808), who died young. * Edgecombe Heath Blatchford (1811–1853), who married Mary Ann Hubbard (1820–1864). Blatchford died in Lansingburgh on March 27, 1828. Eliphalet Nott, the president of

and later the third president of RPI, delivered the sermon at the funeral services.

Descendants

Through his son Richard, he was the grandfather of

Samuel Blatchford Samuel M. Blatchford (March 9, 1820 – July 7, 1893) was an American attorney and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from April 3, 1882, until his death in 1893. Early life and career Blatchf ...

(1820–1893), an attorney and judge who became an

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a Justice (title), justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the J ...

. Through his son Rev John Blatchford, he was the grandfather of Eliphalet Wickes Blatchford (May 31, 1826 – 1915). A great-grandson, also named

Richard M. Blatchford Richard Milford Blatchford (August 17, 1859 – August 31, 1934) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I, he attained the rank ...

(1859–1934), was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who attained the rank of major general, and was a veteran of the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

References

External links

*
Inventory of the Blatchford Family Papers - Additions, 1841-1947, bulk 1870-1914
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blatchford, Samuel 1767 births 1828 deaths People from Devonport, Plymouth People from Bridgeport, Connecticut Alumni of Homerton College, Cambridge Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers American Presbyterians Presidents of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Clergy from Plymouth, Devon Moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America