Eliphalet Nott

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American academic

title: "Eliphalet Nott" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1773-births", "1866-deaths", "people-from-ashford,-connecticut", "presbyterian-church-in-the-united-states-of-america-ministers", "people-from-schenectady,-new-york", "rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-faculty", "presidents-of-rensselaer-polytechnic-institute", "presidents-of-union-college-(new-york)", "brown-university-alumni", "moderators-of-the-general-assembly-of-the-presbyterian-church-in-the-united-states-of-america"] description: "American academic" topic_path: "people/1770s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphalet_Nott" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American academic ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameEliphalet Nott
imageNott2.jpg
captionPortrait of Eliphalet Nott
officePresident of Union College
term_start1804
term_end1866
predecessorJonathan Maxcy
successorLaurens Perseus Hickok
office1President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
term_start11829
term_end11845
predecessor1John Chester
successor1Nathan S.S. Beman
birth_date
birth_placeAshford, Connecticut Colony
death_date
death_placeSchenectady, New York
occupationPresbyterian minister, inventor, educator
known_forLong-term president of Union College
spouse{{plainlist
* {{marriageSarah Marie Benedict
* {{marriageGertrude Peebles
alma_materRhode Island College (now Brown University)
signatureSignature of Eliphalet Nott (1773–1866).png
::

| name = Eliphalet Nott | image = Nott2.jpg | caption = Portrait of Eliphalet Nott | office = President of Union College | term_start = 1804 | term_end = 1866 | predecessor = Jonathan Maxcy | successor = Laurens Perseus Hickok | office1 = President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | term_start1 = 1829 | term_end1 = 1845 | predecessor1 = John Chester | successor1 = Nathan S.S. Beman | birth_date = | birth_place = Ashford, Connecticut Colony | death_date = | death_place = Schenectady, New York | occupation = Presbyterian minister, inventor, educator | known_for = Long-term president of Union College | spouse = {{plainlist|

| children = | alma_mater = Rhode Island College (now Brown University) | signature = Signature of Eliphalet Nott (1773–1866).png Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866) was an American Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York.

Early life

Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 1773. He was the second son, and youngest of nine children, born to Stephen Nott and Deborah (née Selden) Nott.

In 1795, he earned a degree from Rhode Island College (which later became known as Brown University).

Career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/AntiDuelingPamphletEliphaletNott1804.jpg" caption="Opening text of sermon"] ::

Around 1802, he was called to the Presbyterian Church at Albany, where he took a prominent position as a preacher and was heard by large congregations. Among his successful pulpit efforts at Albany was a sermon on the death of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, entitled On the Death of Hamilton, condemning the practice of dueling, that had profound influence in curtailing the custom and remains recognized to this day as an exemplary period example of the orator's art.

College presidency

In 1804, at the age of 31, Nott became president of Union College, a role he served in until his death in 1866, during which time more than 4,000 students are estimated to have graduated from Union. He also served as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from 1829 to 1845, where he "visited the school at least every third week and was compensated with one dollar per visit plus all graduation fees."

Upon assuming the presidency of Union, he reportedly found the College financially embarrassed and successfully worked to place it on sound footings. In the early 1830s, after the founding of the Union Triad fraternities, Nott called for the dissolution of all fraternities. He was dissuaded from this by a member of Delta Phi named John Jay Hyde.

In 1805, the College of New Jersey conferred upon him the title of D.D. (Doctor of Divinity), and in 1828, he received the title of LL.D. His publications include collections of sermons, Counsels to Young Men (1810), and Lectures on Temperance (1847). In 1814, Nott was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society. A number of imprints authored by Nott, or related to him in some way, reside in the society's collections.

Inventor and real estate investor

As a scientist, he studied heat and obtaining some thirty or more patents for applications of heat to steam engines, but was best known in his day as the inventor of the first stove for anthracite coal, which was named for him.

Nott was an important land speculator and developer, partnering with his nephew Henry Sheldon Anable, buying several farms on the Long Island shore of the East River that became the sites of industrial enterprises.

Personal life

He married Sarah Marie "Sally" Benedict (1774–1804), the daughter of Rev. Joel Benedict of Plainfield, Connecticut, under whose instruction in early life he pursued his classical and mathematical studies. Before Sally's death at the age of 29 on March 10, 1804, they were the parents of:

  • Joel Benedict Nott (1797-1878), who married Margaret Taylor Cooper. Parents of Charles C. Nott.
  • Sarah Marie Nott (1799–1839), who married Bishop Alonzo Potter, brother of Bishop Horatio Potter.
  • John Nott (1801–1878), who married Mary Ann Lawrence (1824–1911) in 1830.
  • Benjamin Nott (1802–1881), who married Elizabeth Cooper (1808–1867).

In 1807, he married Gertrude Peebles Tibbits (1771–1841), who died in January 1841.

In 1842, a year and a half after the death of his second wife, Nott married Urania Elizabeth Sheldon (1806– April 19, 1886) a Troy Female Seminary graduate who was a well-known superintendent of several women's schools and the leader of several local benevolent associations.

Beginning in 1860, Nott suffered a series of strokes while serving as president. He died on January 25, 1866, in Schenectady, New York, and was buried at the Vale Cemetery in Schenectady.

Legacy

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/NottMemorialPano.jpg" caption="The Nott Memorial"] ::

The Nott Memorial, a centerpiece of the Union College's campus, was built by his grandson, and Union graduate, Edward Tuckerman Potter and named in Nott's honor.

Nott Road in Rexford, New York, the location of his farm, is named for him, as are Nott Street and Nott Terrace, which border Union College in Schenectady, New York. He remains the longest serving college president in the United States to this day.

References

References

  1. (1887). "Biographical Record of the Officers and Graduates of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1824-1886". W.H. Young and [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]].
  2. (1804). "A Collection of the Facts and Documents, relative to the Death of Major-General Alexander Hamilton; with comments ... By the editor of the Evening Post [i.e. W. Coleman].". J. Riley & Company.
  3. (2007). "History Topics: Names of Long Island City". [[Greater Astoria Historical Society]].
  4. Jennifer Brisbane. (2014). "Historical Relationships between Land Elevation and Socioeconomic Status in New York City: A Mixed Methods GIS Approach". [[City University of New York]].
  5. (1915). "Henry Codman Potter, Seventh Bishop of New York". Macmillan.
  6. (1971). "Eliphalet Nott". [[Wesleyan University Press]].
  7. (2000). "Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families". Heritage Books.
  8. "Rensselaer President Eliphalet Nott". [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
  9. (1999). "American National Biography". [[Oxford University Press]].
  10. (1891). "Personal Reminicsences of Thirty-five Years of Journalism". F.J. Schulte.
  11. (15 September 2014). "Behind the Great Leader: The Story and Influence of Urania Nott". [[Union College]].
  12. "Presidents of Union College". [[Union College]].
  13. [http://www.americanantiquarian.org/memberlistn American Antiquarian Society Members Directory]
  14. [http://catalog.mwa.org/vwebv/search?searchArg1=nott%2C+eliphalet&argType1=phrase&searchCode1=GKEY&combine2=and&searchArg2=&argType2=all&searchCode2=GKEY&combine3=and&searchArg3=&argType3=all&searchCode3=GKEY&yearOption=range&fromYear=&toYear=&type=all&location=all&language=all&place=all&recCount=10&searchType=2&page.search.search.button=Search AAS catalog search results for "Eliphalet Nott"]
  15. Eliphalet Nott, ''A Discourse, Delivered in the Presbyterian Church, in the city of Albany: Before the Ladies' Society, for the Relief of Distresed Women and Children, March 18th, 1804'' (Albany, NY: Charles R. and George Webster, 1804), 37.
  16. ''Life'' by C van Santvoord (ed. Tayler Lewis, 1876).

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1773-births1866-deathspeople-from-ashford,-connecticutpresbyterian-church-in-the-united-states-of-america-ministerspeople-from-schenectady,-new-yorkrensselaer-polytechnic-institute-facultypresidents-of-rensselaer-polytechnic-institutepresidents-of-union-college-(new-york)brown-university-alumnimoderators-of-the-general-assembly-of-the-presbyterian-church-in-the-united-states-of-america