Joshua Bates (educator)

Joshua Bates (March 20, 1776 – January 14, 1854) was an American educator and clergyman. He was the third president of Middlebury College.

Joshua Bates
29th Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
In office
February 4, 1840  December 15, 1840
Preceded byLevi R. Reese
Succeeded byThomas W. Braxton
President of Middlebury College
In office
1818–1839
Preceded byHenry Davis
Personal details
Born(1776-03-20)March 20, 1776
Cohasset, Massachusetts
DiedJanuary 14, 1854(1854-01-14) (aged 77)
Dudley, Massachusetts

Early life

Born in Cohasset, Massachusetts, he was the son of Zealous and Abigail Bates.[1][2] Bates graduated from Harvard College in 1800.[1][3] He became a special student in divinity at Phillips Academy, serving as well as an instructor at Phillips Andover Academy.[1] He was licensed to preach by the Andover Association in 1802.[1]

Minister at First Church in Dedham

From 1803 to 1818 he was minister at the First Church and Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts.[4][5] He was first called to be the associate pastor with Jason Haven in 1802 and was ordained on March 16, 1803 "before a very crowded, but a remarkably civil and brilliant assembly."[1] Three months later, Haven died.[1] There were some who opposed his call, but Fisher Ames made an eloquent speech of support and this was enough to issue a call.[1] Several members, including Fisher Ames' brotherNathaniel, left the church, however, and became Episcopalians.[1]

During his pastorate, the Lord's Supper was administered every six weeks.[6] On the Thursdays preceding, he would preach the Preparatory Lecture.[6] Students in the nearby school were marched to the meetinghouse to listen to the lecture, and Bates would visit the school on Mondays to quiz students on the catechism.[6] Politically, he was an ardent Federalist while the town and the church were strongly anti-Federalist.[6] His sermons often were intolerant of those whose politics who differed from his own.[6] He believed Thomas Jefferson to be an infidel and that his followers were, at best, doubtful Christians.[6]

In 1818 he asked to be dismissed from the church to accept the presidency of Middlebury College.[6][7] It is assumed that, due to his differing political beliefs and his politically tinged sermons, that many in the congregation were glad to let him go.[6] His last sermon was delivered February 5, 1818.[7]

Academic career

From 1818 to 1839, Bates was president of Middlebury College. During his tenure, Bates helped to stabilize the struggling institution and oversaw the construction of the Old Chapel, an icon of the college that is on the National Register of Historic Places. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834.[8] He was Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives for the twenty–sixth Congress.[9][lower-alpha 1] In 1843 he became minister at Dudley, Massachusetts where he remained until his death, aged 77.[3]

His family still lives on today, all over Massachusetts.

Notes

  1. Smith has it as chaplain of the Senate.[10]

References

  1. Smith 1936, p. 77.
  2. Baldwin, Thomas W. (1916). Vital records of Cohasset, Massachusetts, to the year 1850. Boston: Wright & Potter printing company. p. 12. OCLC 1842732. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  3. Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H., eds. (2003). The Vermont encyclopedia. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England. p. 50. ISBN 1-58465-086-9. OCLC 52251135. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  4. Worthington 1827, p. 110.
  5. Smith 1936, pp. 77-80.
  6. Smith 1936, p. 78.
  7. Wright, Conrad (1988). "The Dedham Case Revisited". Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. 3. Massachusetts Historical Society. 100: 15–39. JSTOR 25080991.
  8. "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  9. BATES, Joshua, United States House of Representatives, retrieved August 20, 2019
  10. Smith 1936, p. 80.

Works cited

Religious titles
Preceded by
Levi R. Reese
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
February 4, 1840 – December 15, 1840
Succeeded by
Thomas W. Braxton
Academic offices
Preceded by
Henry Davis
3rd President of Middlebury College
18181839
Succeeded by
Benjamin Labaree


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.