Erastus Milo Cravath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Erastus Milo Cravath
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| Born | July 1, 1833 Homer, New York
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| Died | September 4, 1900 (aged 67) St. Charles, Minnesota
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| Occupation | Educator |
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Ruth Anna Jackson
(m. 1860) |
| Relatives | Paul Drennan Cravath (son) Georgia Laura White (niece) |
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Erastus Milo Cravath (1833–1900) was an important American educator and pastor. After the American Civil War, he helped start Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. This university, like many others he helped create, was for the education of freedmen (people who were formerly enslaved). He also served as president of Fisk University for over 20 years, guiding its growth and success.
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Early Life and Family Roots
Erastus Milo Cravath was born on July 1, 1833, in Homer, New York. His parents were Elizabeth "Betsey" Northway Cravath and Oren Birney Cravath. The Cravath family had French Huguenot ancestors.
His father was a strong supporter of abolitionism, which was the movement to end slavery. Their home in Homer was even a stop on the Underground Railroad. This secret network helped enslaved people escape to freedom in Canada. Erastus grew up in a family that deeply believed in helping enslaved people find freedom.
Education and Marriage
Before the American Civil War, Erastus's family moved to Oberlin, Ohio. He attended local schools and Homer Academy in New York. Later, he studied at Oberlin College, earning his first degree in 1857. He then earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1860. In 1886, he received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Grinnell College.
In September 1860, Cravath married Ruth Anna Jackson. She came from a family of Quakers from Pennsylvania. They had at least three children. Their son, Paul Drennan Cravath, became a famous lawyer. He also helped start the Council on Foreign Relations.
Working for Change
Cravath became a pastor in the Congregational Church in Berlin Heights, Ohio. He was a strong abolitionist. In December 1863, he joined the Union Army during the Civil War. He served until the war ended, taking part in campaigns in Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee.
After the war, in October 1865, Cravath returned to Nashville. He became a Field Agent for the American Missionary Association (AMA). The AMA was a group dedicated to helping formerly enslaved people. Cravath worked to set up schools for them in the Southern states.
Founding Fisk University
In 1866, Erastus Cravath helped found the Fisk School. He bought the land for it. He worked with John Ogden, who was in charge of education for the Freedmen's Bureau in Tennessee. Reverend Edward Parmelee Smith of the AMA also helped.
The Fisk School welcomed both children and adults. They could take classes in subjects like reading, writing, and math. In just six months, the number of students grew from 200 to 900! Using Fisk as his base, Cravath also helped start schools for freedmen in Macon, Milledgeville, and Atlanta, Georgia, as well as in other parts of Tennessee.
In September 1866, Cravath became the District Secretary for the AMA in Cincinnati, Ohio. By 1870, he was promoted to Field Secretary at the AMA office in New York City.
Leading Fisk University
In 1875, Cravath returned to Fisk University, this time as its president. For the next three years, he traveled with the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. This group of talented student singers toured to raise money for the college.
Cravath led Fisk University for more than 20 years. He helped the university grow and build new facilities in the 1880s. He also steadily expanded the educational programs offered.
Erastus Milo Cravath spent his final years in St. Charles, Minnesota. He passed away there on September 4, 1900. His niece, Georgia Laura White, later taught English at Fisk University and served on its board of trustees.
