James Morris Whiton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 11, 1833 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 25, 1920 New York City |
| Education | Yale University (AB, PhD) |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
James Morris Whiton Jr. (April 11, 1833 – January 25, 1920) was a teacher,linguist,lexicographer and clergyman. He is credited with creating the firstHarvard–Yale Regatta in 1853, and is notable as one of the first three individuals to earn aPhD at an American university, earning the degree in classics atYale University in 1861.[1][2]
Whiton was born inBoston, Massachusetts to James Morris Whiton (1809–1857) and Mary Elizabeth (Knowlton) Whitton (1809–1906). He graduated from theBoston Latin School in 1848 asvaledictorian.
In the summer after his junior year at Yale, in June 1852, Whiton encountered James H. Elkins, then the superintendent of theBoston, Concord and Montreal Railroad while riding on a train. As the train passed through New Hampshire, Whiton noted thatLake Winnipesaukee would be an excellent location for a regatta. In response, Elkins remarked that if Whiton could organize a race between Harvard and Yale, that Elkins would pay for all the train fares and other bills.[3][4]
Two months later, on August 3, 1852, the first Harvard-Yale Regatta was held, with Whiton rowing from the bow for Yale in a boat named theUndine.[3]
In 1853, Whiton earned hisBA from Yale University. He was also admitted toPhi Beta Kappa and was classsalutatorian.
Starting in 1859, he began studyingSanskrit withWilliam Dwight Whitney, which ultimately lead to him earning a PhD in classics at Yale in 1861.[5] Whiton's PhD was among the first of three such degrees in the United States, asEugene Schuyler andArthur Williams Wright also earned their PhDs from Yale that year.
Whiton took examinations in Latin, Greek, German and Sanskrit.[6] The title of his dissertation was "Brevis Vita, Ars Longa," which consisted of six pages of Latin prose in the style of Cicero.[5][6]
After graduating Yale, Whiton worked for a year as a principal's assistant at the Worcester Classical and English High School inWorcester, MA. He then served as rector of theHopkins Grammar School (1854–1865). He would later serve as the principal ofWilliston Seminary from 1876 to 1878.[6]
Besides his academic work, Whiton was a minister, spurred in part by the death of his younger sister in 1847. He studied atAndover Seminary for a year and then served as a minister inLynn, Massachusetts (1865–1875),Newark, New Jersey (1879–1885) andNew York City (1886–1891).[5] Due to ill health he retired from full-time pastoral work in 1891 but then went on to work as a guest preacher over the next 20 years throughout New England.
Whiton died in 1920 and is buried inGrove Street Cemetery inNew Haven, Connecticut.
In 1888, he established the Whiton Prize atTalladega College.[5]