1785–1871

Introduction

Born: No­vem­ber 26, 1785, Ca­naan (now New Le­ba­non), New York.

Died: Au­gust 6, 1871, Car­bon­dale, Il­li­nois.

Buried: Oak­wood Ce­me­te­ry, Troy, New York.

portrait

Biography

Nathan was the son of Sam­uel Be­man and Si­lence Doug­lass. He mar­ried twice, to Lo­rane Eli­za Smith (1811), and Ca­rol­ine Bird.

Nathan gra­du­at­ed from Mid­dle­bu­ry College, Ver­mont, in 1807. He then stu­died theo­lo­gy and preached in Port­land, Maine (1810–12), and Mount Zi­on, Geor­gia (1812–22).

In 1818, he be­came pre­si­dent of Frank­lin College in Ath­ens, Geor­gia (the found­ing col­lege of the Uni­ver­si­ty of Geor­gia), though he served on­ly a year in that po­si­tion. He lat­er served as pas­tor of the First Pres­by­te­ri­an Church, Troy, New York (1823–63).

In 1824, Be­man became a trus­tee of Mid­dl­ebu­ry Col­lege, his al­ma ma­ter, a po­si­tion he held un­til his death. He was elect­ed pre­si­dent of Mid­dle­bu­ry College in 1846, but de­clined the po­si­tion.

Beman al­so served as vice pre­si­dent of Rens­se­laer Po­ly­tech­nic In­sti­tute in Troy (1842–45), and as its fourth pre­si­dent (1845–65).

Works

Sources

Lyrics