Cyrus Hamlin
Encyclopedia
Cyrus Hamlin was an American
Congregational
missionary
and educator, the father of A. D. F. Hamlin
.
Hamlin was born in Waterford, Maine
. He graduated from Bowdoin College
in 1834 and from Bangor Theological Seminary
in 1837. The Hamlins were a prominent nineteenth-century Maine
family which also produced a Vice President of the United States
(Hannibal Hamlin
) and at least two Civil War generals, one of whom was also named Cyrus Hamlin.
He promptly left the United States
in 1838 as a missionary
under the American Board, arriving in Turkey in January 1839. In 1860, he began the work of establishing Robert College
in Istanbul
, Ottoman Empire
. He served as its president until an unfortunate conflict in 1876, which forced his return to the United States
where he served as professor of dogmatic theology at Bangor Theological Seminary
.
He was elected president of Middlebury College
in Vermont
in 1880. His term was short, lasting only until 1885. However, Hamlin's guidance brought the College back from the brink of collapse and began a recovery process that would ultimately lead to unprecedented growth in the early years of the 20th Century. Hamlin resolved severe disciplinary issues inherited from his predecessor and personally contracted critical upgrades to the physical plant. However, the most significant event of Hamlin's administration—one that would prove key in maintaining Middlebury's stability later on—was the college's decision to accept women in 1883. Hamlin was seventy-four by 1885 when he unsurprisingly retired.
He published Among the Turks (1878) and My Life and Times in Turkey (1893). Hamlin Hall at Robert College
, as well as Hamlin Hall in Middlebury College
's Freeman International Center are named after him.
For many years, he lived in Lexington, Massachusetts
. He is buried in Lexington's Munroe Cemetery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and educator, the father of A. D. F. Hamlin
Alfred Dwight Foster Hamlin
Alfred Dwight Foster Hamlin, A.M., L.H.D. was an American architect, born at Istanbul, Turkey as the son of Cyrus Hamlin. He graduated at Amherst in 1875, studied architecture at Boston and Paris, and afterward began teaching architecture at Columbia in its School of Engineering...
.
Hamlin was born in Waterford, Maine
Waterford, Maine
Waterford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,455 at the 2000 census. It is a recreation area noted for historic architecture and scenic beauty.-History:...
. He graduated from Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
in 1834 and from Bangor Theological Seminary
Bangor Theological Seminary
Located in Bangor, Maine, and Portland, Maine, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary, founded in 1814, in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. It is the only accredited graduate school of religion in Northern New England....
in 1837. The Hamlins were a prominent nineteenth-century Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
family which also produced a Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
(Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin
Hannibal Hamlin was the 15th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War...
) and at least two Civil War generals, one of whom was also named Cyrus Hamlin.
He promptly left the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1838 as a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
under the American Board, arriving in Turkey in January 1839. In 1860, he began the work of establishing Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. He served as its president until an unfortunate conflict in 1876, which forced his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he served as professor of dogmatic theology at Bangor Theological Seminary
Bangor Theological Seminary
Located in Bangor, Maine, and Portland, Maine, Bangor Theological Seminary is an ecumenical seminary, founded in 1814, in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. It is the only accredited graduate school of religion in Northern New England....
.
He was elected president of Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in 1880. His term was short, lasting only until 1885. However, Hamlin's guidance brought the College back from the brink of collapse and began a recovery process that would ultimately lead to unprecedented growth in the early years of the 20th Century. Hamlin resolved severe disciplinary issues inherited from his predecessor and personally contracted critical upgrades to the physical plant. However, the most significant event of Hamlin's administration—one that would prove key in maintaining Middlebury's stability later on—was the college's decision to accept women in 1883. Hamlin was seventy-four by 1885 when he unsurprisingly retired.
He published Among the Turks (1878) and My Life and Times in Turkey (1893). Hamlin Hall at Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
, as well as Hamlin Hall in Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
's Freeman International Center are named after him.
For many years, he lived in Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
. He is buried in Lexington's Munroe Cemetery.