Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History
Sauer, Anne
Branco, Jessica
Bennett, John
Crowley, Zachary
2000
Ballou, Hosea, 2d, 1796-1861
| Hosea Ballou, 2d (1796-1861) was the first president of Tufts College, serving from 1853 until his death in 1861.He was born in Guilford, Vermont, in 1796.He was a Universalist clergyman, theologian, and historian. He presided over the parishes of Roxbury and Medford, Massachusetts, from 1821-1852, published the "Ancient History of Universalism" in 1829, and received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from, and became an Overseer of, Harvard University in 1845.Having been one of the biggest influences in the establishment of the College, Hosea Ballou 2d became the first president of Tufts College in 1853.He was its first professor of History and Intellectual Philosophy. It would be thirty years after his death before another professor at Tufts was able to match his scholarly and teaching ability in that field. Hosea Ballou 2d established the college's first curriculum which led to the Bachelor of Arts degree. He died in office in 1861.His personal library remains as a legacy to the university to this day. | |
Ballou Hall, the first building constructed on the Medford Campus, was named in his honor. | |
Source: History note from the finding aid for the Hosea Ballou collection, UA001.002. | |
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