Gardner Colby
Encyclopedia
Gardner Colby was a prominent businessman and Christian philanthropist. He is the namesake of Colby College
in Maine and the town of Colby, Wisconsin
.
Colby was born in Bowdoinham, Maine
in 1810 and spent part of his childhood in Waterville, Maine
. His father, Josiah Colby, died in 1814 after having lost his fortune during the War of 1812
, and Josiah Colby had spent time manufacturing gun powder in Waterville before his death. To aid Colby's mother, Jeremiah Chaplin
, a Baptist minister who served as the first President of Waterville College (later Colby College) arranged for the Colby family to operate a store in Charlestown, Massachusetts
. Gardner Colby eventually started his own store in Boston and became involved in various other businesses including railroads, shipping and manufacturing. As a life-long Baptist, Colby was very involved in various Christian causes. During the Civil War in 1864 the college in Waterville was facing hardships, so Colby made the first of several large donations to the college and it was renamed "Colby College" in his honor. He served as a trustee from 1864 to his death and many of his descendants became involved with the school. Colby also served as treasurer and made several large donations to what is now Andover Newton Theological School
, which was a Reformed seminary located near Colby's home in Newton, Massachusetts.
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
in Maine and the town of Colby, Wisconsin
Colby, Wisconsin
Colby is a city in Clark and Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,616 at the 2000 census...
.
Colby was born in Bowdoinham, Maine
Bowdoinham, Maine
Bowdoinham is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,612 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The town is located on the west side of Merrymeeting Bay.-History:Fort Richmond was...
in 1810 and spent part of his childhood in Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
. His father, Josiah Colby, died in 1814 after having lost his fortune 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...
, and Josiah Colby had spent time manufacturing gun powder in Waterville before his death. To aid Colby's mother, Jeremiah Chaplin
Jeremiah Chaplin
Jeremiah Chaplin was a Reformed Baptist theologian who served as the first president of Colby College in Maine....
, a Baptist minister who served as the first President of Waterville College (later Colby College) arranged for the Colby family to operate a store in Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. Gardner Colby eventually started his own store in Boston and became involved in various other businesses including railroads, shipping and manufacturing. As a life-long Baptist, Colby was very involved in various Christian causes. During the Civil War in 1864 the college in Waterville was facing hardships, so Colby made the first of several large donations to the college and it was renamed "Colby College" in his honor. He served as a trustee from 1864 to his death and many of his descendants became involved with the school. Colby also served as treasurer and made several large donations to what is now Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School is a graduate school and seminary located in Newton, Massachusetts. It is America's oldest graduate seminary and the nation's first graduate institution of any kind...
, which was a Reformed seminary located near Colby's home in Newton, Massachusetts.
Places named after Colby
- Colby Hall (Newton, Massachusetts)Colby Hall (Newton, Massachusetts)Colby Hall is an historic building on the campus of Andover Newton Theological School at 141 Herrick Road in the village of Newton Centre in Newton, Massachusetts. It was built in 1866 in a mixture of Second Empire and Romanesque styles...
- Colby Chapel at Andover Newton
- Colby, WisconsinColby, WisconsinColby is a city in Clark and Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,616 at the 2000 census...
, which gave its name to Colby cheeseColby cheese-History:Joseph F. Steinwand in 1874 developed a new type of cheese at his father's cheese factory near Colby, Wisconsin. The cheese was named after the village, which had been founded three years earlier.... - Colby CollegeColby CollegeColby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
External links
- A tribute to the memory of Gardner Colby (Franklin press., 1879)