John Millott Ellis facts for kids
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John Millott Ellis (born March 27, 1831 – died 1894) was an important minister and thinker in the 1800s. He was an abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery. He taught philosophy at Oberlin College from 1866 to 1896 and even served as the college's acting president in 1871.
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Early Life and Education
John Ellis was born in New Hampshire. In 1840, when he was nine years old, his family moved to Oberlin, Ohio. There, he learned to work at his father's planing mill, which shaped wood.
In 1847, John started attending Oberlin College. He was an excellent student and graduated at the very top of his class. After college, he taught at schools in Lapeer, Michigan, and at Mississippi College.
In 1855, he returned to Oberlin to study theology for two more years. He earned a degree from the Oberlin Seminary in 1857. The next year, in 1858, he joined the faculty at Oberlin College as a professor of Greek. He also helped start the Second Congregational Church in 1860.
Fighting for Freedom: John Ellis and Abolitionism
In August 1862, during the American Civil War, John Ellis gave a powerful speech. He spoke at a local chapel, arguing that freeing all enslaved people across the country was necessary to win the war.
His speech was published in newspapers throughout Ohio and the rest of the nation. It came out just three weeks before President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation. Some people at the time wondered if Ellis's speech helped President Lincoln feel more confident that the public would support his Proclamation.
In 1865, John Ellis became an ordained minister. The next year, in 1866, he began teaching Mental philosophy and Rhetoric at Oberlin. He was known as one of the most popular lecturers of his time.
Leading Oberlin College and the Town
In 1871, John Ellis became the 10th President of Oberlin College. However, he only served for one year. He felt that the duties of being president took too much time away from his academic work and teaching, which he loved more.
John Ellis was a very important member of the Oberlin community throughout his life. He served as the Chief of the Fire Department for several years. In 1861, he became the mayor of the town of Oberlin. He successfully worked to get railroads built through nearby Lorain, Ohio. He also founded the Oberlin Arboricultural Association, which focused on trees and plants, though it is no longer active today.
In 1875, he gave the eulogy (a speech praising someone after their death) at the funeral for another Oberlin President, Charles Grandison Finney. One year before he passed away in 1894, John Ellis received the first honorary D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) degree ever given by Oberlin College.
Family and Legacy
John Ellis had five children with his wife, Minerva E. Tenney. After his death, Oberlin College bought his home in 1906. It was used as a dormitory for female students called the Ellis Cottage until 1949. Today, one of his descendants, Theo Ellis, is a political activist.
