author
Calvin Colton
1789–1857
A 19th-century minister turned political writer, he moved from the pulpit into public debate and became one of the energetic Whig voices of his era. His books range from religion and travel to economics and the life of Henry Clay.
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About the author
Born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, in 1789, Calvin Colton was educated at Yale and then at Andover Theological Seminary. He began his career as a Presbyterian minister, later entered the Protestant Episcopal ministry, and eventually left regular preaching after losing his voice.
Colton went on to build a second career as a journalist, lecturer, and author. Dartmouth Libraries describes him as an American journalist, clergyman, and author, and notes that he served as pastor in Le Roy and Batavia, was rector of the Church of the Messiah, and held the chair of Public Economy at Trinity College, Hartford from 1852 until his death in 1857.
He is especially remembered for his political and historical writing. Modern scholarship has noted his importance as a public defender of the Whig Party, while his published work also shows a wide range of interests, including American revivalism, national expansion, railroads, and the career of Henry Clay.