Theophilus C. Abbot


Theophilus Capen Abbot was an American educator and the third President of the State Agricultural College, serving from 1863 until 1885.

Early life

He was born in Vassalboro, Maine, and spent his early life in Augusta, Maine. At the age of fifteen he entered Colby University in Waterville, Maine. He graduated in 1845 with his bachelor's degree, and received his A.M. degree from Colby four years later.

Career

After receiving his master's degree, Abbot taught in Vermont, at Bangor Theological Seminary and Colby University in Maine, and in Berrien Springs, Michigan. In 1857, he became the first principal of the Union School, the first secondary school to serve the entire city of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In 1858, Abbot accepted the Professorship of English literature at the newly formed State Agricultural College in East Lansing, Michigan. He also served as the treasurer of the college in 1860, and as secretary pro tempore of the State Board of Agriculture in 1861 and 1862. In December 1862, he was unanimously selected as the third president of the college, a position he held for 22 years while still continuing to teach. Ill health forced him to step down as president in 1885, and then later from his professorship in 1889. In 1890, he received an honorary LL.D. degree in 1890 from the University of Michigan. His health continued to deteriorate after his retirement and he died on November 7, 1892.

Personal life

On July 5, 1860, Abbot married Sarah Merrylees, a teacher at the Union School in Ann Arbor, and they had two children: Mary Monat and Joseph Rodney.

Legacy