Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Jackson, Abner

JACKSON, Abner, clergyman, b. near Wash- ington, Pa., 4 Nov., 1811 ; d. in Hartford, Conn., 19 April, 1874. He studied first at Washington college, Pa., and was graduated at Washington (now Trinity) college, Hartford, Conn., in 1837 with the valedictory. He immediately received an appointment as tutor in the college, a year later was chosen adjunct professor of ancient languages, and in 1840 was appointed the first professor of intellectual and moral philosophy. While dis- charging the duties of this chair during a period of eighteen years, he also gave instruction in Latin, and for a considerable part of the time he lectured on chemistry. In 1858 Dr. Jackson ac- cepted an election to the presidency and the pro- fessorship of the evidences of Christianity at Ho- bart college, Geneva, N. Y. From this post he was recalled to Trinity in 1867, the trustees having unanimously chosen him to be president and professor of ethics and metaphysics. After a visit to Europe he entered on his new duties, in which he was engaged at the time of his death. Trinity college having sold its grounds to the city of Hartford as the site for the new state-house of Connecticut, it became necessary to select a new site and to secure plans for new buildings. Dr. Jack- son labored at this task diligently and with much enthusiasm, and spent the summers of 1872 and 1873 in England in the study of architecture and the preparation of elaborate plans, which have been carried out only in part. Dr. Jackson was ordained to the ministry by Bishop Brownell on 2 Sept., 1838. He received the degree of D. D. from Trinity in 1858, and that of LL. D. from Columbia in 1866. A volume of his sermons was published after his death (New York, 1875).