Stephen Olin

American clergyman and academic

Stephen Olin

President of Wesleyan University
In office
1839–1841
Preceded by| Willbur Fisk
Succeeded by| Nathan Bangs
3rd President of Wesleyan University
In office
1842–1851
Preceded by| Nathan Bangs
Succeeded by| Augustus W. Smith
1st President of Randolph Macon College
In office
1834–1836
Preceded by| Office created
Succeeded by| Landon C. Garland
Personal details
Born| (1797-03-02)March 2, 1797
Leicester, Vermont
Died| August 15, 1851(1851-08-15) (aged 54)
Middletown, Connecticut
Resting place| Wesleyan University Cemetery, Middletown, Connecticut
Spouse| Julia Matilda Lynch
Relations| Alice Olin Dows (granddaughter)
Julia Lynch Olin (granddaughter)
Parent(s)| Henry Olin
Lois Richardson
Alma mater| Middlebury College

Stephen Olin (March 2, 1797 - August 15, 1851) was an American educator and minister.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

Oline was born in Leicester, Vermont, on March 2, 1797. He was one of ten children born to Henry Olin (1768–1837), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont,[2] and Lois Richardson (d. 1814). His father was the nephew of Gideon Olin (1743–1823) and the cousin of Abram B. Olin (1808–1879), both of whom also served as members of the House of Representatives from Vermont.[3]

In 1820, Olin graduated from Middlebury College in 1820.[4]

## Career

[edit]

Seeking a better climate for his poor health, Olin traveled to the southern United States, where he found employment as a teacher at Tabernacle Academy in Mount Ariel, in the Abbeville area of South Carolina.[5] After having a religious awakening at the age of 25, he gave up consideration of the practice of law and became ordained into the Methodist Episcopal Church;[6] Olin was recognized as a deacon by the Milledgeville, Georgia, conference in January 1826.[7] He then served a pastorate in Charleston, but his health prevented him from continuing in that capacity.[7] He became professor of belle-lettres at the University of Georgia in 1827. He was the first President of Randolph-Macon College (1834–1836) but resigned for health reasons and was succeeded by Dr. Landon C. Garland.[8] He later served as president of Wesleyan University (1842–1851).[6]

In 1844, at the general conference of the Methodists, Olin called on his friend, Bishop James Andrew, to resign his office, on the grounds the latter owned slaves. Olin himself was criticized because his first wife (Mary E. Bostwick, whom he married in 1827) had owned slaves.[4]

## Personal life

[edit]

Stephen Olin married Mary Ann Bostwick, who died in Naples, Italy, during the couple's time in Europe after Olin resigned the presidency of Randolph-Macon College.[7]

He was later married to Julia Matilda Lynch (1814–1879), the daughter of James Lynch. Together, they were the parents of:[4]

* Stephen Henry Olin (1847–1925), who married Alice Wadsworth Barlow (1853–1882), daughter of Samuel Latham Mitchill Barlow and Alice Cornell Townsend.[9]

Olin died on August 15, 1851, in Middletown, Connecticut.[4]

### Legacy

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The Williamsbridge neighborhood of Olinville in the Bronx, New York, began as two towns named for him (founded in 1852).[4]

## Publications

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* Inaugural Address Delivered by the Rev. Stephen Olin, President of Randolph-Macon College, on the Occasion of His Induction into Office, 5th March, 1834 (1834) Richmond: Nesbitt & Walker.[10]
* Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petræa, and the Holy Land (1843) New York: Harper & Brothers.[11]
* Resources and Duties of Christian Young Men: A Discourse to the Graduating Class of Wesleyan University, August 1845 (1846) New York: Lane & Tippett.[12]
* The Relations of Christian Principle to Mental Culture: A Discourse to the Graduating Class of Wesleyan University, July 1848 (1848) New York: Lane & Scott.[13]
* Early Piety, the Basis of Elevated Character: A Discourse to the Graduating Class of Wesleyan University, August 1850 (1851) New York: Lane & Scott.[14]
* The Works of Stephen Olin (1852) and Greece and the Golden Horn (1854) were edited by his second wife, Julia Matilda Olin, and published posthumously.
* College Life: Its Theory and Practice (1867) New York: Harper & Brothers.[15]

## References

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stephen Olin.

1. ^ "Stephen Olin and Julia Olin letters". archives.nypl.org. Manuscripts and Archives Division | New York Public Library. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
2. ^ "OLIN, Henry - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
3. ^ Brown, John Howard (2006). The Cyclopedia of American Biography V6: Comprising the Men and Women of the United States Who Have Been Identified with the Growth of the Nation. Kessinger Publishing. p. 61\. ISBN 9781428640511.
4. ^ a b c d e Olin, Stephen (1852). The Works of Stephen Olin. Harper & Brothers. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
5. ^ Cummings, A.W. (1886). The Early Schools of Methodism. New York: Phillips & Hunt. p. 84. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
6. ^ a b "Stephen Olin, Office of the President". www.wesleyan.edu. Wesleyan University. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
7. ^ a b c Smith, George G. (1913). The History of Georgia Methodism from 1786 to 1866. Atlanta, GA: A.B. Caldwell. pp. 178–179. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
8. ^ "College Presidents :: Randolph-Macon College". www.rmc.edu. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
9. ^ Starr, Leslie (2007). Welcome to Wesleyan: Campus Buildings. Wesleyan University Press. p. 36\. ISBN 9780819568557. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
10. ^ Olin, Stephen (1834). Inaugural Address Delivered by the Rev. Stephen Olin, President of Randolph-Macon College, on the Occasion of His Induction into Office, 5th March, 1834. Richmond: Nesbitt & Walker. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
11. ^ Olin, Stephen (1843). Travels in Egypt, Arabia Petræa, and the Holy Land. New York: Harper & Brothers. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
12. ^ Olin, Stephen (1846). Resources and Duties of Christian Young Men: A Discourse to the Graduating Class of Wesleyan University, August 1845. New York: Lane & Tippett. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
13. ^ Olin, Stephen (1848). The Relations of Christian Principle to Mental Culture: A Discourse to the Graduating Class of Wesleyan University, July 1848. New York: Lane & Scott. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
14. ^ Olin, Stephen (1851). Early Piety, the Basis of Elevated Character: A Discourse to the Graduating Class of Wesleyan University, August 1850. New York: Lane & Scott. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
15. ^ Olin, Stephen (1867). College Life: Its Theory and Practice. New York: Harper & Brothers. Retrieved June 9, 2020.

* Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography James Grant Wilson & John Fisk, eds. (1888) New York, Appleton.
* The History of Methodism in Georgia and Florida: From 1785 to 1865 George Gilman Smith (1877) J. W. Burke & Co.

Academic offices

Preceded by

Office created

|  President of Randolph-Macon College
1834–1836  | Succeeded by

Landon Cabell Garland

Preceded by

Nathan Bangs

|  President of Wesleyan University
1842–1851  | Succeeded by

Augustus William Smith

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Presidents of Wesleyan University

* Fisk (1831–1839)
* Bangs (1841–1842)
* Olin (1842–1851)
* Smith (1852–1857)
* Cummings (1858–1875)
* Foss (1875–1880)
* Beach (1880–1887)
* Raymond (1889–1908)
* Shanklin (1909–1923)
* McConaughy (1925–1943)
* Butterfield (1943–1967)
* Etherington (1967–1970)
* Campbell (1970–1988)
* Chace (1988–1994)
* Bennet (1995–2007)
* Roth (2007– )

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