Samuel Fisher was an American clergyman and educator.

His father, serving in the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

 at Morristown, New Jersey

Morristown, New Jersey

Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...

, died of disease just before his birth. His mother was living at the time with her brother-in-law, Dr. Samuel Ware, in Sunderland, Massachusetts

Sunderland, Massachusetts

Sunderland is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, part of the Pioneer Valley. The population was 3,777 as of the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area....

. He lived for a few years with his mother in Dedham, Massachusetts

Dedham, Massachusetts

Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...

 and in 1782 went to Conway, to live with his uncle, Dr. Ware, who had adopted him, and where he remained till he went to college. He studied at Williams College

Williams College

Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...

, graduating in 1799.

He taught school in Conway and then became head of Deerfield Academy

Deerfield Academy

Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....

 in 1800. He was next a tutor at Williams College

Williams College

Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...

 from 1801 to 1803, meanwhile studying divinity. He met his future wife Alice Cogswell in 1802 and they married in 1805. Her cousin of the same name

Alice Cogswell

Alice Cogswell was the inspiration to Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet for the creation of the now American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut....

 was the inspiration for the founding of the first school for the deaf in the United States. Fisher and his wife had six children. She died in 1850.

He received a license to preach from the Berkshire Association in 1804 and was ordained as a pastor in Wilton, Connecticut

Wilton, Connecticut

Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...

. A series of pastorates in New York and New Jersey followed. Meanwhile, Fisher received a doctorate in divinity from Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

 in 1827.

He became embroiled in the Old School-New School Controversy

Old School-New School Controversy

The Old School-New School Controversy was a schism of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America which began in 1837. Later, both the Old School and New School branches further split over the issue of slavery, into southern and northern churches...

 that divided the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America

The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America was a Presbyterian denomination in the United States. It was organized in 1789 under the leadership of John Witherspoon in the wake of the American Revolution and existed until 1958 when it merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North...

. He was elected the first moderator of the New School General Assembly at Philadelphia in 1838.

He died on December 27, 1856 in Succasunna, New Jersey and was buried New Year's Day, 1857 in Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...

His son, Samuel Ware Fisher, would become president of Hamilton College.