Urian Oakes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Urian Oakes
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| President of Harvard College | |
| In office 1675–1680 |
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| Preceded by | Leonard Hoar |
| Succeeded by | John Rogers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1631 England |
| Died | July 25, 1681 (aged 49–50) Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
Urian Oakes (born 1631, died July 25, 1681) was an important leader in early America. He was born in England and later moved to America. He became a minister in a type of church called a Congregational church. He also worked as an educator. Most notably, he served as the fourth president of Harvard College.
Urian Oakes's Early Life
Urian Oakes was born in England around 1631 or 1632. His parents were Edward and Jane Oakes. When he was a child, his family moved to Massachusetts by 1640. He had a brother named Thomas Oakes.
Urian Oakes went to Harvard College and finished his studies in 1649. After college, he went back to England. There, he became a minister in a town called Titchfield. He got married while in England, but we do not know his wife's name.
In 1662, a new law called the Act of Uniformity was passed. This law made many ministers, including Oakes, leave their church positions. After this, Oakes found work as a schoolteacher. He also continued to be a minister for people who did not follow the official church rules.
Leading Harvard College
Urian Oakes's wife passed away in 1669. Two years later, in 1671, people from Cambridge, Massachusetts, traveled to England. They were looking for a new minister for their church. They chose Urian Oakes for the job. He started his new role in November 1671. Soon after, he also became one of the leaders of Harvard College.
In 1672, Leonard Hoar became the President of Harvard. However, many people, including Oakes, did not like him. Oakes and other leaders resigned from their positions. Even though the main court tried to make them stay, they refused. They only returned when President Hoar left his job on March 15, 1675.
After Hoar left, Urian Oakes was chosen to be the new president. At first, he only accepted the job for a short time. But after leading Harvard for four years, he officially accepted the full position in 1679. He continued to be the president until he passed away in Cambridge on July 25, 1681. People said Oakes was known for his kind and gentle personality. He was very well-liked by his church members and everyone he met in New England.
His Important Legacy
Urian Oakes was known for being a great preacher. He was also skilled in Latin, an ancient language. We still have some of his writings today. These include three sermons he gave at important events. He also wrote a poem in English in 1677. This poem was about the death of Thomas Shepard, another minister.
