Eliphalet Nott
Encyclopedia
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
, Schenectady, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Life
Nott was the second son (and the youngest of nine children) of Stephen and Deborah (Selden) Nott. He was born at Ashford, ConnecticutAshford, Connecticut
President George Washington, returning from his tour of the country in the fall of 1789, was chagrined to be involuntarily abandoned in the village on a Sunday...
on June 25, 1773. He earned a degree in 1795 from Rhode Island College, which became Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. In 1804 he became president of Union, at the age of 31. He continued as president of Union College until his death. He married the daughter of Rev. Joel Benedict of Plainfield, Connecticut
Plainfield, Connecticut
Plainfield is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 14,619 at the 2000 census. The town comprises four villages: Plainfield , Moosup , Wauregan , and Central Village . Each village has their own respective United States Post Office and fire department...
, under whose instruction in early life he pursued his classical and mathematical studies. More than 4,000 students are estimated to have graduated from Union during his tenure. 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
Delta Phi
Delta Phi is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Founded as part of the Union Triad, along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, Delta Phi was the third and last member of the Triad...
named John Jay Hyde. Nott was also president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
from 1829-1845. He found Union financially embarrassed, but succeeded in placing it on a sound footing. His legacy there is recognized by the imposing Nott Memorial
Nott Memorial
The Nott Memorial is an elaborate 16-sided stone-masonry building which serves as both architectural and physical centerpiece of Union College in Schenectady, New York...
, a centerpiece of the College's campus.
Around 1802 he was called to the Presbyterian Church at Albany, where he took a prominent position as a preacher, and was listened to by large congregations. Among his successful pulpit efforts while at Albany, was a sermon on the death of Alexander Hamilton. An oration condemning the practice of dueling, it was delivered in the wake of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
's passing. On the Death of Hamilton (1804), had profound influence in curtailing the custom and remains recognized to this day as an exemplary period example of the eloqutor's art. 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).
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
Anthracite coal
Anthracite is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster...
, which was named for him.
He died on January 25, 1866 in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. Nott Road in Rexford, New York
Rexford, New York
Rexford is a hamlet in Saratoga County, New York, USA, located on the north bank of the Mohawk River.Rexford is in the Town of Clifton Park, near the southwest town line. Its boundaries, like those of neighboring Alplaus, are unofficial and necessarily vague. To the south, it is bounded by the...
, the location of his farm, is named for him.