Matthew Vassar
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Matthew Vassar (April 29, 1792–June 23, 1868) was a U.S. (English-born) brewer and merchant. He was the founder and eponym of Vassar College in 1861.
Born in East Tuddenham, Norfolk, England, Vassar's family emigrated to the U.S. state of New York in 1796. When Vassar was 14 years old, his parents had him apprenticed to a tanner. One day before he was to begin his apprenticeship, he ran away to a town near Newburgh, New York. He subsequently entered the brewing business, where he made much of his fortune.
Inspired by his niece, Vassar decided to start one of the first women's colleges in New York. In January 1861, the New York Legislature passed an act to incorporate Vassar College. On February 26, 1861, Vassar presented the college's Board of Trustees with a small tin box, containing half of his fortune, $408,000 (approximately $8,400,000 in 2005 dollars), and a deed of conveyance for 200 acres of land to establish the campus.
On June 23, 1868, Vassar delivered his farewell address to the Vassar College Board of Trustees; he died in the middle of delivering the eleventh page of the speech. Ironically, Vassar's speech included a portion where he said the college was fortunate not to have had a death or serious illness among the board or the student body since the opening of the college.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography.
