James Fairchild
Encyclopedia
James Harris Fairchild was an American
educator.
Harris was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
, on November 25, 1817. His father was Grandison Fairchild
. Soon after his birth his parents moved to Brownhelm
, Lorain County
, Ohio
, and settled on a farm about ten miles from the present site of Oberlin College
. When Oberlin opened its doors in 1834, Fairchild entered as a freshman. He graduated in 1838. The year after graduation he was appointed tutor in the college, was ordained in 1841, and in 1842 became professor of Latin and Greek. In 1847, he was transferred to the chair of mathematics, and in 1858 to that of theology and moral philosophy. In 1866, he became the third president of the college. During his tenure, the faculty and physical plant of the college expanded dramatically. In 1889, he resigned as president but remained as chair of systematic theology
.
His wife, Mary Fletcher Kellogg, was one of the first group of five women to be admitted to a college in the United States. She was the only one who didn't graduate, as her father's business failed. Her family moved to a frontier area of Louisiana, and Fairchild, who'd known her while they were students at Oberlin, came down and married her in November 1841.
Fairchild wrote a history of Oberlin entitled Oberlin: The colony and the College, 1833-1883 which was published in 1883. He also wrote works on phylosphy including Moral Phylosphy; or, the science of Obligation, and Elements of theology, natural and revealed.
The biography of Fairchild James Harris Fairchild or Sixty-Eight Years with a Christian College was written by Albert Temple Swing and published in 1907.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator.
Harris was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
, on November 25, 1817. His father was Grandison Fairchild
Grandison Fairchild
Grandison Fairchild was an American reformer and active in the founding of Oberlin College.He was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts and died in Brownhelm, Ohio....
. Soon after his birth his parents moved to Brownhelm
Brownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio
Brownhelm Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,782 people in the township, 1,792 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township...
, Lorain County
Lorain County, Ohio
Lorain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio, and is considered to be a part of what is locally referred to as Greater Cleveland. As of the 2010 census, its population was 301,356. an increase from 284,664 in 2000...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and settled on a farm about ten miles from the present site of Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. When Oberlin opened its doors in 1834, Fairchild entered as a freshman. He graduated in 1838. The year after graduation he was appointed tutor in the college, was ordained in 1841, and in 1842 became professor of Latin and Greek. In 1847, he was transferred to the chair of mathematics, and in 1858 to that of theology and moral philosophy. In 1866, he became the third president of the college. During his tenure, the faculty and physical plant of the college expanded dramatically. In 1889, he resigned as president but remained as chair of systematic theology
Systematic theology
In the context of Christianity, systematic theology is a discipline of Christian theology that attempts to formulate an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the Christian faith and beliefs...
.
His wife, Mary Fletcher Kellogg, was one of the first group of five women to be admitted to a college in the United States. She was the only one who didn't graduate, as her father's business failed. Her family moved to a frontier area of Louisiana, and Fairchild, who'd known her while they were students at Oberlin, came down and married her in November 1841.
Fairchild wrote a history of Oberlin entitled Oberlin: The colony and the College, 1833-1883 which was published in 1883. He also wrote works on phylosphy including Moral Phylosphy; or, the science of Obligation, and Elements of theology, natural and revealed.
The biography of Fairchild James Harris Fairchild or Sixty-Eight Years with a Christian College was written by Albert Temple Swing and published in 1907.
Note
- This entry is based largely on the National Cyclopaedia biography which is in the public domain.
Further readings
- "Fairchild, James Harris." American National Biography (1999). 7:682-683.
- "Fairchild, James Harris." The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography (1895). 2:464-465.