Reverend. Dr. Lyman Beecher Biography

Patron signatures files.pdf

Beecher's Brief Letter Regarding Patronage

Reverend Dr. Lyman Beecher was born October 12, 1775 in New Haven, Connecticut. Graduating from Yale University in 1797, he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1799 where he served the East Hampton, Long Island church until 1810. He then accepted a ministerial position in Litchfield Connecticut. He became known for his fiery sermons on social subjects of the time including intemperance and slavery. He strongly believed that people were sinners who needed to reform and adhere to a strict Calvinist or Evangelical way of life. In 1826, he accepted a new position as the pastor for a church in Boston, Massachusetts. By this time, Beecher was one of the most prominent reverends in America.

With the establishment of a new theological seminary in Cincinnati, there was need for a well-respected President to attract the very best students from around the country. The board of trustees invited Reverend Dr. Lyman Beecher to that position and in 1832 he moved there with his family. Beecher felt that the western United States would be fertile territory for his message of Christianity. He was opposed to Catholicism, and viewed his new position as president of the seminary as a way to increase Protestantism across the west.

Beecher’s time at Lane Seminary was fraught with controversy. As early as 1834 the conflict between colonization and abolition came to a head.  The students, led by Theodore Weld held a series of debates during which they convinced the attendees that abolition was the only answer to end the crisis of slavery.  As a result, the entire inaugural class of 40 men left the seminary. Beecher was devastated over these young men leaving. Although the seminary continued on for many years with Beecher as its leader, it never achieved the potential influence for which he had hoped. Beecher had been known as favoring colonization, but as expressed in his sermons and writings, he believed slavery to be a sin and that the Colonization Society and the Abolition Society should work together to solve the issue of slavery.

Beecher continued his busy life by leading the remaining students at the seminary and travelling to secure funding and future students. During the first ten years of his presidency, Beecher was also the pastor at the Second Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati, which still exists today as Covenant-First Presbyterian Church. Beecher had been twice widowed and married again for a third time. Out of Beecher’s thirteen children, a few came with him to Cincinnati when he accepted his position as the seminary’s president. Most notably: his daughters Catharine and Harriet, and one of his sons, Henry Ward. These three would later become famous for their work in abolition and women’s education. Harriet is known for her controversial book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which she was inspired to write immediately after her time spent in Cincinnati.