History of Salem, (Marion County) Oregon United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Salem, (Marion County) Oregon, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

Erastus Otis Haven, M.E. bishop, was born in Boston, Mass., Nov. 1, 1820; son of the Rev. Jotham, grandson of Jotham, great grandson of Gideon, great2 grandson of Moses, great3 grandson of Nathaniel and great4 grandson of Richard Haven the English emigrant who appeared in New England in 1644. His father was a Methodist circuit preacher, and brother of Gilbert Haven, the father of Bishop Gilbert Haven. Otis was prepared for college at the Framingham academy, and by his father with the help of his well selected library. He was prepared to enter Harvard but decided to take his course at the Wesleyan university, Middletown, Conn., where he was graduated, A.B., 1842, A.M., 1845. He was licensed to exhort, June 27, 1843, and to preach, Dec. 30, 1843. He was principal of the academy, Sudbury, Mass., 1842-43; instructor in natural sciences, Amenia seminary, N.Y., 1843-46; principal of the seminary, 1846-48; joined the New York conference of the M.E. church, 1848; was stationed at the Twenty-fourth Street church, New York city, 1848-49; at Red Hook, N.Y., 1850-52, and at the Mulberry Street, N.Y. city, 1852. He was professor of the Latin language and literature in the University of Michigan, 1853-54, and of history and English literature there, 1854-56. He was editor of Zion's Herald, Boston, Mass., 1856-63, a member of Massachusetts board of education, 1858-63; of the Massachusetts senate, 1862-63; president of the University of Michigan, 1863-69, and while so serving was professor of rhetoric and English literature, 1863-65, of logic and political economy, 1865-68, and of mental and moral philosophy, 1868-69. He was president of Northwestern university, Evanston, Ill., 1869-72; corresponding secretary of the board of education of the M.E. church, 1872-80; a delegate to the Wesleyan conference, London, England, 1878; chancellor of Syracuse university, 1874-80, and a member of General conference in 1880, when he was elected bishop of the M.E. church, and his residence fixed by the conference at San Francisco, Cal. He held conferences in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas in 1880, and early in 1881 removed with his family to the Pacific coast. He received the degrees D.D. from Union college in 1854, and LL.D. from Ohio Wesleyan university in 1863. He was married July 28, 1846, to Mary Frances, daughter of the Rev. George Coles of New York city, Their son Otis Erastus (born July 27, 1849, died Feb. 3, 1898), was a graduate of the University of Michigan, 1870, and of Rush medical college, 1883; another son Alfred Coles, born at Malden, Mass., Sept. 30, 1857, was graduated at Syracuse university, A.B., 1877, M.D., 1880; was surgeon on Pacific mail steamers to China and Japan, 1881-82, and settled as a practising physician at Lake Forrest, Ill., in 1882. The youngest son Theodore Woodruff (born at Malden, Mass., March 1, 1862), was graduated at University of Syracuse, A.B., 1881; A.M., 1884, and at Boston university, S.T.B., 1884, and became a Methodist clergyman. Bishop Haven is author of The Young Man Advised (1855); The Pillars of Truth (1866); Rhetoric a Text-Book, &c. (1869); and numerous pamphlets, books and periodical contributions the titles to which make two pages of the bibliography of Wesleyan Alumni Record. See his Autobiography edited by the Rev. C. C. Stratton, D.D. (1883). He died at Salem, Oregon, Aug. 2, 1881.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Salem, (Marion County) Oregon

Biographies: