.gif)
Horace Holley (1781-1827)
Encyclopedia
Horace Holley was a Unitarian
minister and president of Transylvania University
in Lexington, Kentucky
.
Born to a prominent New England
family, Holley finished his formal secondary education
by age ten. He began preparatory studies at age sixteen, and graduated from Yale University
in 1799. After briefly studying law at a firm in New York
, he returned to Yale to study theology under President Timothy Dwight
. He earned a divinity degree in 1804, and began pastoring a Congregationalist
church in Fairfield, Connecticut
. After three years, he left Fairfield to pastor in Boston, Massachusetts. His religious views also became more liberal, and he converted to Unitarianism in 1809.
In 1818, Holley was offered the presidency of the struggling Transylvania University. He accepted, and immediately began a series of changes that positioned the university among the nation's elite institutions. However, his theological views clashed with those of the Presbyterian
Church, which had historically wielded great influence at Transylvania. Holley's sympathies for the Federalist Party also won him a number of enemies in the state. His opponents began to spread rumors regarding his personal life. Governor Joseph Desha
also opposed Holley and persuaded the General Assembly
to cut off the university's funding. In the face of such overwhelming issues, Holley resigned his post in 1827.
Holley moved his family to New Orleans, Louisiana
where he was offered the presidency of a planned new university. However, before the university could be opened, Holley contracted yellow fever
while vacationing aboard a ship bound for New York, and died July 31, 1827.
, the fourth son of Luther and Sarah (Dakin) Holley. Orville L. Holley
and Myron Holley
were his brothers. Their father was the founder of a successful iron business, and was also a farmer and merchant.
Holley began his early studies before the age of four, and finished them by age ten. For the next few years, he studied at home under the tutelage of his father. In 1797, at the age of sixteen, he began preparatory studies at Williams College
. He matriculated to Yale
in 1799. The son of a Calvinist
father and a Baptist
mother, Holley had not been brought up to follow either denomination. While attending Yale, he became excited by the religious doctrines of university president Dr. Timothy Dwight, a staunch opponent of deism
. In 1803, earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree and delivered a graduation address entitled "The Slavery of Free Thinking."
During his short tenure at Greenfield Hill, Holley's religious views became more liberal, in part due to the influence of his wife, Mary. This shift in his religious views, as well as a desire for a more favorable financial situation, led him to resign his post at Greenfield Hill. He considered posts in Marblehead, Massachusetts
; Middletown, Connecticut
; and Albany, New York
, but ultimately declined them all and moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1808. Shortly before the move, Holley's first child, Harriette Williman Holley, was born. Holley preached several trial sermons to large crowds in the Old South Church. Previously a Trinitarian, by the time Holley accepted the call to become pastor of Hollis Street Church
in Boston, he had already become a Unitarian. Holley was installed as pastor on March 8, 1809.
While in Boston, Holley developed a reputation as a great orator. He became a member of several benevolent societies, including the Harvard Board of Overseers
, the Boston School Committee, and the Washington Benevolent Society
. The Washington Benevolent Society was affiliated with the Federalist Party, which Holley supported despite his respect for Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson
. Holley served as a chaplain of the House of Representatives
during the War of 1812
. When Hollis Street Church was constructing a larger building, the congregation met with the congregation from Boston's First Church, and Holley shared the pulpit with William Emerson
, father of philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
.
Church, but due to low enrollment and graduation numbers, the Kentucky General Assembly reorganized its Board of Trustees, temporarily diminishing the church's influence. The new board members, mostly men of political influence, believed Horace Holley's liberal religious views would foster academic progress and help realize their dreams of making Lexington the "Athens
of the West."
Holley was first invited to become president of Transylvania University in 1815. He at first refused, but the Board of Trustees persisted, and again unanimously extended their invitation to Holley in 1817. Holley was intrigued by the second offer, and on an 1818 visit to Lexington, was given a tour of the city by native son Henry Clay
. Impressed by what he saw, Holley accepted the offer to become president in April. He returned to Boston for his wife, daughter, and newborn son, Horace Austin Holley, and in September 1818, the family relocated to Lexington. Holley was inaugurated as president on December 19, 1818.
Holley's tenure at Transylvania was of immense benefit to the university. A new gym
nasium and art gallery
were opened. The library was substantially expanded. The school was reorganized as a four-year institution, and a medical school
and law school
were both founded. Holley attracted eminently qualified faculty to the university, including Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. By 1825, the medical school was ranked second in the country, enrollment had quadrupled, and the school had produced 650 graduates. (By comparison, in the period from the university's founding in 1799 to the beginning of Holley's tenure in 1818, it had produced only 60 graduates.)
Tensions between Holley and the school's conservative Presbyterian leadership did not subside, however. His support of the Federalist Party also cost him a great deal of support in the state. Allegations surfaced regarding everything from fiscal mismanagement to the Holleys' extravagant social life. Public funding for the university dwindled, and in 1826, Holley's salary was cut. He further lost the support of Governor Joseph Desha
, who disliked the university for what he perceived as it's elitist character and for its association with Henry Clay. Overwhelmed by the opposition, Holley offered his resignation in January 1826, but the Board of Trustees refused to accept it. He resigned again in 1827; this it was accepted.
as part of a "traveling academy." When the parents of the young men refused, Holley was invited to establish a new educational institution in New Orleans. Supporters promised Holley full fiscal and administrative control over the college.
Holley agreed to open the college, but first took leave to Boston to escape the hot climate and build up his health. While on this excursion, Holley and his wife both contracted yellow fever. Ms. Holley was so delirious with fever, she was not aware of her husband's death on July 31, 1827. Holley was buried at sea
near the Dry Tortugas
in the Gulf of Mexico
.
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister and president of Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
.
Born to a prominent New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
family, Holley finished his formal secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
by age ten. He began preparatory studies at age sixteen, and graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1799. After briefly studying law at a firm in 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...
, he returned to Yale to study theology under President Timothy Dwight
Timothy Dwight IV
Timothy Dwight was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author...
. He earned a divinity degree in 1804, and began pastoring a Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
church in Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
. After three years, he left Fairfield to pastor in Boston, Massachusetts. His religious views also became more liberal, and he converted to Unitarianism in 1809.
In 1818, Holley was offered the presidency of the struggling Transylvania University. He accepted, and immediately began a series of changes that positioned the university among the nation's elite institutions. However, his theological views clashed with those of the Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
Church, which had historically wielded great influence at Transylvania. Holley's sympathies for the Federalist Party also won him a number of enemies in the state. His opponents began to spread rumors regarding his personal life. Governor Joseph Desha
Joseph Desha
Joseph Desha was a U.S. Representative and the ninth Governor of Kentucky. Desha was the first Kentucky governor not to have served in the Revolutionary War. He did, however, serve under William Henry Harrison and "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War, and lost two brothers in battle...
also opposed Holley and persuaded the General Assembly
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
to cut off the university's funding. In the face of such overwhelming issues, Holley resigned his post in 1827.
Holley moved his family to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
where he was offered the presidency of a planned new university. However, before the university could be opened, Holley contracted yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
while vacationing aboard a ship bound for New York, and died July 31, 1827.
Early life
Horace Holley was born February 13, 1781 in Salisbury, ConnecticutSalisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwest-most in the State of Connecticut. The MA-NY-CT Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Salisbury...
, the fourth son of Luther and Sarah (Dakin) Holley. Orville L. Holley
Orville L. Holley
Orville Luther Holley was an American writer, newspaper editor, historian and politician.-Life:...
and Myron Holley
Myron Holley
Myron Holley was an American politician who had a large part in the construction of the Erie Canal.-Life:...
were his brothers. Their father was the founder of a successful iron business, and was also a farmer and merchant.
Holley began his early studies before the age of four, and finished them by age ten. For the next few years, he studied at home under the tutelage of his father. In 1797, at the age of sixteen, he began preparatory studies 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...
. He matriculated to Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1799. The son of a Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
father and a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
mother, Holley had not been brought up to follow either denomination. While attending Yale, he became excited by the religious doctrines of university president Dr. Timothy Dwight, a staunch opponent of deism
Deism
Deism in religious philosophy is the belief that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine that the universe is the product of an all-powerful creator. According to deists, the creator does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the...
. In 1803, earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree and delivered a graduation address entitled "The Slavery of Free Thinking."
Ministry
Holley determined to pursue the profession of law, studying in the office of Riggs & Radcliffe of New York, but abandoned this ambition after only a few short months. He returned to Yale to study divinity under President Dwight. He earned his degree in December 1804, and was licensed to preach by the North Haven Association. On January 1, 1805, he married Mary Austin, a fellow student at Yale who would later publish History of Texas. The couple moved to Fairfield, Connecticut where Holley was ordained by the Western Consociation of Fairfield County, Connecticut on September 13, 1805. That same year, he began to pastor Greenfield Hill Congregationalist Church.During his short tenure at Greenfield Hill, Holley's religious views became more liberal, in part due to the influence of his wife, Mary. This shift in his religious views, as well as a desire for a more favorable financial situation, led him to resign his post at Greenfield Hill. He considered posts in Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
; Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
; and Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, but ultimately declined them all and moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1808. Shortly before the move, Holley's first child, Harriette Williman Holley, was born. Holley preached several trial sermons to large crowds in the Old South Church. Previously a Trinitarian, by the time Holley accepted the call to become pastor of Hollis Street Church
Hollis Street Church
The Hollis Street Church in Boston, Massachusetts, was a Congregational and Unitarian church. It merged with the South Congregational Society of Boston in 1887.- 1732-1825 :...
in Boston, he had already become a Unitarian. Holley was installed as pastor on March 8, 1809.
While in Boston, Holley developed a reputation as a great orator. He became a member of several benevolent societies, including the Harvard Board of Overseers
Harvard Board of Overseers
The Harvard Board of Overseers is one of Harvard University's two governing boards...
, the Boston School Committee, and the Washington Benevolent Society
Washington Benevolent Societies
The Washington Benevolent Societies were grass-roots political clubs set up 1808-1816 by the Federalist Party in the U.S. to electioneer for votes...
. The Washington Benevolent Society was affiliated with the Federalist Party, which Holley supported despite his respect for Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. Holley served as a chaplain of the House of Representatives
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
The election of William Linn as Chaplain of the House on May 1, 1789, continued the tradition established by the Continental Congresses of each day's proceedings opening with a prayer by a chaplain. The early Chaplains alternated duties with their Senate counterparts on a weekly basis, covering the...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. When Hollis Street Church was constructing a larger building, the congregation met with the congregation from Boston's First Church, and Holley shared the pulpit with William Emerson
William Emerson (minister)
The Rev. William Emerson was one of Boston's leading citizens, a liberal-minded Unitarian minister, pastor to Boston's First Church and founder of its Philosophical Society, Anthology Club, and Boston Athenaeum, and father to Ralph Waldo Emerson.-Biography:Emerson was born in Concord,...
, father of philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
.
Presidency of Transylvania University
Transylvania University had a long-standing affiliation with the PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
Church, but due to low enrollment and graduation numbers, the Kentucky General Assembly reorganized its Board of Trustees, temporarily diminishing the church's influence. The new board members, mostly men of political influence, believed Horace Holley's liberal religious views would foster academic progress and help realize their dreams of making Lexington the "Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
of the West."
Holley was first invited to become president of Transylvania University in 1815. He at first refused, but the Board of Trustees persisted, and again unanimously extended their invitation to Holley in 1817. Holley was intrigued by the second offer, and on an 1818 visit to Lexington, was given a tour of the city by native son Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
. Impressed by what he saw, Holley accepted the offer to become president in April. He returned to Boston for his wife, daughter, and newborn son, Horace Austin Holley, and in September 1818, the family relocated to Lexington. Holley was inaugurated as president on December 19, 1818.
Holley's tenure at Transylvania was of immense benefit to the university. A new gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium and art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
were opened. The library was substantially expanded. The school was reorganized as a four-year institution, and a medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
and law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
were both founded. Holley attracted eminently qualified faculty to the university, including Constantine Samuel Rafinesque. By 1825, the medical school was ranked second in the country, enrollment had quadrupled, and the school had produced 650 graduates. (By comparison, in the period from the university's founding in 1799 to the beginning of Holley's tenure in 1818, it had produced only 60 graduates.)
Tensions between Holley and the school's conservative Presbyterian leadership did not subside, however. His support of the Federalist Party also cost him a great deal of support in the state. Allegations surfaced regarding everything from fiscal mismanagement to the Holleys' extravagant social life. Public funding for the university dwindled, and in 1826, Holley's salary was cut. He further lost the support of Governor Joseph Desha
Joseph Desha
Joseph Desha was a U.S. Representative and the ninth Governor of Kentucky. Desha was the first Kentucky governor not to have served in the Revolutionary War. He did, however, serve under William Henry Harrison and "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War, and lost two brothers in battle...
, who disliked the university for what he perceived as it's elitist character and for its association with Henry Clay. Overwhelmed by the opposition, Holley offered his resignation in January 1826, but the Board of Trustees refused to accept it. He resigned again in 1827; this it was accepted.
Later life and death
Following his resignation, Holley moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he hoped to take a group of young men on a tour of EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as part of a "traveling academy." When the parents of the young men refused, Holley was invited to establish a new educational institution in New Orleans. Supporters promised Holley full fiscal and administrative control over the college.
Holley agreed to open the college, but first took leave to Boston to escape the hot climate and build up his health. While on this excursion, Holley and his wife both contracted yellow fever. Ms. Holley was so delirious with fever, she was not aware of her husband's death on July 31, 1827. Holley was buried at sea
Burial at sea
Burial at sea describes the procedure of disposing of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, but also can be done by private citizens in many countries.-By religion:...
near the Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas
The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located at the end of the Florida Keys, USA, about west of Key West, and west of the Marquesas Keys, the closest islands. Still further west is the Tortugas Bank, which is completely submerged. The first Europeans to discover the islands were the...
in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.