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Theodore Dwight Woolsey (31 October 1801 – 1 July 1889) was an American academic, author and President of
Woolsey married twice and had a total of 13 children.
On 5 September 1833, he married Martha Salisbury, who was born 30 November 1812 and died 3 November 1852. Their children were:
# Edward Salisbury Woolsey was born 10 June 1834, but died from scarlet fever on 17 December 1843.
# Elizabeth Woolsey was born 30 November 1835, but died in the same scarlet fever epidemic on the same day as her two brothers.
# Agnes Woolsey was born 30 June 1838, married Edgar Laing Heermance (1833–1888), had three children and died in 1915.
# William Walton Woolsey was born 12 June 1840, and died in the 1843 scarlet fever epidemic.
# Laura Woolsey was born 22 June 1842 but died of typhoid fever on 23 March 1861.
# Catherine Woolsey was born 17 January 1845 but died 7 June 1854.
# Martha Woolsey was born 7 July 1847 but died 6 December 1870.
# Helen Woolsey was born 7 August 1849 but died 8 December 1870.
# Theodore Salisbury Woolsey was born 22 October 1852 and died 24 April 1929.
On 6 September 1854, Woolsey married Sarah Sears Prichard, who was born 3 March 1824 and died in 1900.
Their children were:
# Mary Pritchard Woolsey born 1 September 1855, married Alfred Terry Bacon and died in 1931.
# John Muirson Woolsey was born 13 February 1858 but died from typhoid fever 13 March 1861.
# George Woolsey was born 2 May 1861.
# Edith Woolsey was born 2 July 1864.
Woolsey died 1 July 1889 in New Haven.
Woolsey was a descendant of George (Joris) Woolsey, one of the earliest settlers of
''Adam and Anne Mott: their ancestors and their descendants''"> ''Adam and Anne Mott: their ancestors and their descendants''
A.V. Haight, 1890 Retrieved November 10, 2013 Woolsey Hall at Yale, completed in 1901, and Woolsey Street in
''Yale: A History.''
New Haven:
OCLC 810552
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woolsey, Theodore Dwight Educators from New York City Yale College alumni American legal writers American classical scholars American book editors 1801 births 1889 deaths Presidents of Yale University Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Cornell family Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Classical scholars of Yale University Scholars of ancient Greek literature Woolsey family Members of the American Philosophical Society
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, ...
from 1846 through 1871.
Biography
Theodore Dwight Woolsey was born 31 October 1801 in New York City. His mother was Elizabeth Dwight (1772–1813) and father was William Walton Woolsey (1766–1839). At Yale, he served as President of the secret society, Brothers in Unity, and then graduated as valedictorian of his class fromYale 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 1820. He spent a year in legal study in Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and two years of the study of theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
at Princeton. For some time, Woolsey was a tutor at Yale, then went abroad to study Greek in Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, Bonn
Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, and Berlin. From 1831 to 1846, he was professor of Greek at Yale.
Woolsey's mother's brother Timothy Dwight (1752–1817) had been president of Yale 1795–1817. Jeremiah Day was the only president Yale had in between the family members.
Woolsey was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
in 1845. After being chosen as president of Yale, he instructed students of history, political economy
Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...
, political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
, and especially international law.
He resigned as president of Yale in 1871. After Noah Porter served as president, the office was back in the family as his cousin once removed Timothy Dwight V (1828–1916), was selected in 1886. In 1871, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
.
During his 25 years as president, Yale advanced in wealth and influence and two new departments, the Scientific School and the School of Fine Arts, were begun. Woolsey was one of the founders of the ''New Englander'', chairman of the American commission for the revision of the Authorized Version of the Bible, president of the World's Evangelical Alliance at its international meeting in New York, a lifelong member and at one time president of the American Oriental Society
The American Oriental Society is a learned society that encourages basic research in the languages and literatures of the Near East and Asia. It was chartered under the laws of Massachusetts on September 7, 1842. It is one of the oldest learned ...
, and a regent of the Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
. Among Woolsey's writings and publications are these: Editions of the ''Alcestis'' of Euripides
Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...
(1834), of the ''Antigone'' of Sophocles
Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...
(1835), of the ''Prometheus'' of Æschylus (1837), of the ''Electra'' of Sophocles (1837), and of the ''Gorgias'' of Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
(1843); an edition of Lieber's ''Civil liberty and Self Government'', and:
* ''Introduction to the study of International Law'' (1860, many times republished)
* ''Essays on Divorce and Divorce Legislation'' (1869)
* ''Religion of the Present and Future'', a collections of sermons (1871)
* ''Political Science'' (1877)
* ''Communism and Socialism'' (1880)
* ''Helpful Thoughts for Young Men'' (1882)
Family and legacy
Woolsey married twice and had a total of 13 children.
On 5 September 1833, he married Martha Salisbury, who was born 30 November 1812 and died 3 November 1852. Their children were:
# Edward Salisbury Woolsey was born 10 June 1834, but died from scarlet fever on 17 December 1843.
# Elizabeth Woolsey was born 30 November 1835, but died in the same scarlet fever epidemic on the same day as her two brothers.
# Agnes Woolsey was born 30 June 1838, married Edgar Laing Heermance (1833–1888), had three children and died in 1915.
# William Walton Woolsey was born 12 June 1840, and died in the 1843 scarlet fever epidemic.
# Laura Woolsey was born 22 June 1842 but died of typhoid fever on 23 March 1861.
# Catherine Woolsey was born 17 January 1845 but died 7 June 1854.
# Martha Woolsey was born 7 July 1847 but died 6 December 1870.
# Helen Woolsey was born 7 August 1849 but died 8 December 1870.
# Theodore Salisbury Woolsey was born 22 October 1852 and died 24 April 1929.
On 6 September 1854, Woolsey married Sarah Sears Prichard, who was born 3 March 1824 and died in 1900.
Their children were:
# Mary Pritchard Woolsey born 1 September 1855, married Alfred Terry Bacon and died in 1931.
# John Muirson Woolsey was born 13 February 1858 but died from typhoid fever 13 March 1861.
# George Woolsey was born 2 May 1861.
# Edith Woolsey was born 2 July 1864.
Woolsey died 1 July 1889 in New Haven.
Woolsey was a descendant of George (Joris) Woolsey, one of the earliest settlers of New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
, and Thomas Cornell (settler).Cornell, Thomas Clap''Adam and Anne Mott: their ancestors and their descendants''"> ''Adam and Anne Mott: their ancestors and their descendants''
A.V. Haight, 1890 Retrieved November 10, 2013 Woolsey Hall at Yale, completed in 1901, and Woolsey Street in
New Haven, Connecticut
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 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
are named in his honor. The statue erected in Woolsey's memory, now displayed on Yale's Old Campus, has a golden toe from being rubbed for good luck.
See also
* New England Dwight familyReferences
*External links
* * Kelley, Brooks Mather. (1999)''Yale: A History.''
New Haven:
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...
. OCLC 810552
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Woolsey, Theodore Dwight Educators from New York City Yale College alumni American legal writers American classical scholars American book editors 1801 births 1889 deaths Presidents of Yale University Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Cornell family Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Classical scholars of Yale University Scholars of ancient Greek literature Woolsey family Members of the American Philosophical Society