CLAP
CLAPP
CLAP, Thomas, educator, was born in Scit-
uate, Mass., June 26, 1703; son of Deacon Stephen
and Temperance Clap; grandson of Samuel and
Hannah (Gill) Clap ; and great-grandson of Thomas
and Abigail Clap. He was gi-aduated from Har-
vard in 1722. He then stvidied theology and in
August, 1726. succeeded the Rev. Samuel Whiting
as pastor of the church at Windliam, Conn. He
was especially learned in mathematics, astron-
omy and philosophy. He constructed the first
orrery or planetarium made in America. In
1739 he was chosen president of Yale coUege as
successor to the Rev. Elisha "Williams. His
people in Windham were so unwilling to part
with him that the matter was referred to an
ecclesiastical council, who advocated the change,
and on April 2, 1740, he was formally installed in
the presidency. The state legislature voted to
pay an indemnity of £53 to the people of Wind-
ham for the loss of their minister. On assuming
the duties of his new office Mr. Clap at once
drew up a code of laws to supersede the laws of
Harvard college, which had until then been in
use at Yale. These were published in 1748 in
Latin, the first book published in New Haven.
In 174.J he obtained a new charter for the college
from the state legislature, and in 1752 a new
building was erected. He next called for a new
chapel which was completed in 1763 and many
marked improvements were made under his ad-
ministration. Whitefield's visit to New England
brought some unpopularity upon President Clap,
who had no sympathy with the revivalist. After
several unsuccessful attempts by the trustees to
secure a professor of divinity he was invited in
1753 to preach to the students in college hall.
This course was objected to by the New Haven
church, which claimed the college as within its
parish boundaries. In 1756 a professor of divinity
was chosen. Other controversies increased his
unpopularity and a memorial was sent to the
legislature petitioning for an examination into
the coUege aff'airs. A written denial of the
charges made was prepared by him and the
memorial was dismissed by the legislatui-e. In
1765 he called for the resignation of two of the
tutors, who had embraced the opinions of the
Sandemanians. The remaining tutor then re-
signed, as did the successors shortly afterward.
President Clap offered liis resignation in July,
1766, and after conferring the degrees in Septem-
ber he retired from office. He was married in
1727 to Mary, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Whit-
ney, by whom he had two daughters : Mary, who
became the wife of David Wooster, afterward
major-general in the Revolutionary army, and
Temperance, who was married to the Rev. Tim-
othy Pitkin, son of Gov. William Pitkin of
Connecticut. Among his publications are: An
Introduction to the Study of Philosophy (1743) ; The
Reliijious Constitution of Colleges, especially of Yale
College, Xeic Haven (1754) ; A Brief Histoi-y and
Vindication of the Doctrines received and established
in the Churches of JVeiv England, with a specimen of
the New Scheme of Religion beginning to prevail
(1755) ; An Essay on the Xatiire and Foundation of
moral Virtue and Obligation (1765) ; Annals or His-
tory of Yale College (1766) ; and Conjectures upon the
Nature and Motions of Meteors, which are above the
Atmosphe7-e (1781). He died in New Haven,
Conn., Jan. 7, 1767.
CLAPP, Asa, merchant, was born in Mansfield, Mass., March 15, 1762; son of Abiel Clapp; grand- son of Samuel and Bethiah (Dean) Clapp ; gi-eat- grandson of Thomas and ]Mary (Fisher) Clapp; and great ^ grandson of Thomas and Abigail Clap. When very young he volunteered to act a.s substitute for one who had been drafted for the expedition for the expulsion of the British army from Rhode Island, was appointed a non-commis- sioned officer and remained in the service until honorably discharged. He then proceeded to Boston, shipped on a vessel, and soon obtained command. He passed several j'ears at sea, and in 1793 was captured and held in England for six months, when he was released and indemnified for his loss. He was married to Eliza Wendall, daughter of Dr. Jacob Quincy of Boston, and in 1798 became a merchant in Portland, where he accumulated a large fortune in foreign and do- mestic trade. In 1807 when congress laid an em- bargo on the shipping in the United States he firmly supported the government although it was greatl}' to his financial disadvantage. He was chosen a member of the Massachusetts council in 1811. In 1812 when an embargo was again laid, and a few months later war was declared, Mr. Clapp again gave the government his support, and voluntarily subscribed nearly one-half of the whole amount of his property to the loan to sus- tain the national credit. In 1816 he was ap- pointed by President Madison one of the commis- sioners to obtain subscriptions to the capital stock of the Bank of the United States, to which corpo- ration he was the largest subscriber in Maine. He was elected a delegate to the convention held in 1819 for the purpose of forming the Maine constitution. He was repeatedly chosen a repre- sentative in the state legislature. He died in Portland, Me., April 17, 1848.
CLAPP, Asa William H., representative, was born in Portland, Me., in 1805; son of Asa and Elizabeth Wendall (Quincy) Clapp. He was graduated at the Norwich (Vt.) military acad- emy in 1823, and entered business with his father. In 1846 he was elected a representative in the 30th U.S. congress. He occupied many iK)sitions of trust and honor in Portland, being a director
