Charles Nisbet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Nisbet
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| Born | January 21, 1736 Haddington, Scotland
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| Died | January 18, 1804 (aged 67) Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States
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| Occupation | Academic, clergyman |
| Spouse(s) |
Anne Tweedie
(m. 1766) |
| Children | 4 |
Charles Nisbet was an important Scottish-American teacher and church leader. He was born in Scotland in 1736 and passed away in America in 1804. He is best known as the very first leader, or Principal, of Dickinson College. This college is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Contents
Life Story of Charles Nisbet
Charles Nisbet was born on January 21, 1736, in a town called Haddington, Scotland. His father, William Nisbet, was a doctor and also a schoolteacher. Charles grew up in a family that valued learning.
Early Education and Church Work
By 1754, Charles had finished his studies at the High School and the University of Edinburgh. He then went to Divinity Hall to train to become a minister. On September 24, 1760, he was officially allowed to preach by the church leaders in Edinburgh.
Later, on May 17, 1764, he became the minister for the church in Montrose. Nisbet was a strong supporter of the American Revolution. This was a time when the American colonies were fighting for their independence from Great Britain.
Moving to America and Leading a College
Nisbet had a good friend named John Witherspoon. Witherspoon was the head of Princeton College in America. In 1783, Princeton College gave Nisbet an honorary degree. This special award made the leaders of a new college, Dickinson College, notice him.
Benjamin Rush and John Dickinson convinced Nisbet to become the first Principal of Dickinson College. This new college was in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Nisbet and his family sailed from Scotland on April 23, 1785.
They arrived in Philadelphia on June 9 and then in Carlisle on July 4. The town was very excited to welcome them. However, the summer in Pennsylvania was hot and humid. Nisbet and his family became very sick with a fever.
Carlisle looked like a rough frontier town back then. Nisbet thought about returning to Scotland because of the sickness and the difficult conditions. But he was persuaded to stay and lead the new college.
Building Dickinson College
On May 9, 1786, Nisbet was chosen again to be the Principal. For the next eighteen years, he worked very hard to build up Dickinson College. He put all his effort into making it a strong and successful school.
In early 1804, Nisbet caught a cold that turned into pneumonia. Charles Nisbet passed away in Carlisle on January 18, 1804. A special service was held for him, and a monument was built by his son, Alexander, to remember him.
Nisbet's Family Life
In 1766, Charles Nisbet married Anne Tweedie. They had four children together. Their children were named Thomas, Mary, Alison (born in 1773), and Alexander (born in 1777).
His son, Alexander Nisbet, who was born in 1777, later became a founding member of the St Andrews Society of Baltimore in 1806.
