Timothy S. Dodge (1829-1883) (also known as T. S. Dodge) was a Baptist minister who served as the first president of

Benedict College Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across ...

in South Carolina from 1871 to 1876.

Early life in New England

Timothy S. Dodge was born on February 22, 1829, in Fairlee, Vermont to Phineas and Rebecca Dodge. In 1850 Dodge was living with the Richard Everett family in Fairlee while continuing his studies. He attended college in the North before eventually moving outside of New England. By 1854 he was in Boston working as a clerk at the

Boston and Providence Railroad The Boston and Providence Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island which connected its namesake cities. It opened in two sections in 1834 and 1835 - one of the Rail transportation in the United States, fir ...

. By 1857 Dodge was also serving as clerk of

Tremont Temple The Tremont Temple on 88 Tremont Street is a Baptist church in Boston, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA. The existing multi-storey, Renaissance Revival structure was designed by Boston architect Clarence Blackall ...

Baptist Church in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

when he participated in the ecclesiastical trial of Rev.

Isaac Smith Kalloch Isaac Smith Kalloch (July 10, 1832 – December 9, 1887) was a Baptist pastor from New England who served as the 18th Mayor of San Francisco serving from December 1, 1879, to December 4, 1881. He also served as the first president of Ottawa Uni ...

. Dodge also served on Boston's

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

committee In 1863 he was working as a bookkeeper and married Elizabeth Jane Whitney, a native of Standish, Maine with Rev. Daniel C. Eddy officiating their wedding in Boston. By 1870 he was working as a salesman in Boston.

Founding and Presidency of Benedict College

On December 1, 1870, he and his wife arrived in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

where he was studying for Baptist ordination when he became the first president (principal) of

(then called Benedict Institute), which was co-founded by Bathsheba A. Benedict of

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket ( ) is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence, Rhode Island, Prov ...

who provided the funds to purchase a former plantation as the site for the school. Dodge's first student was a sixty-six year old African American preacher who was a former slave. In addition to the academic and religious curriculum, Dodge helped to institute an industrial training program and helped facilitate financial support for the school from friends in Boston. While in South Carolina, Dodge's daughter Phoebe Benedect Dodge (Dolloff) was born in 1875.

Later life as a pastor and death

In 1879 Dodge moved to Illinois and became pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church in

Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon ( ) is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,870 as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Lake Land College and has close ties with its neighbor, Charleston, Illinois, Charleston. Both are principal cit ...

. He then served as pastor of the Grant Park Baptist Church, where he was serving at the time of his death. Timothy Dodge died at age fifty-four on June 10, 1883, in Grant Park, Illinois and was buried in Union Corners Cemetery.Burial and birth Information on tombstone and other details are viewable on findagrave

References

{{reflist 1829 births 1883 deaths 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States Baptist abolitionists University and college founders Heads of historically black universities and colleges in the United States Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Presidents of Benedict College