Ezra S. (Ezra Stiles) Gannett

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1801, he was the son of Caleb Gannett and Ruth Stiles Gannett, and the grandson of Yale president Ezra Stiles. He studied at Harvard and went on to become a prominent Unitarian minister in Boston.

In 1824 he began serving alongside William Ellery Channing at Federal Street Church, and in 1842 he succeeded Channing there. When the congregation moved, he continued his ministry at Arlington Street Church. He is also remembered as one of the founders of the American Unitarian Association, reflecting his importance not just as a pastor but as a builder of the wider Unitarian movement.

Gannett remained an influential religious figure for decades. He died on August 26, 1871, after a railroad accident while on his way to preach in Lynn, Massachusetts. His long career left a lasting mark on Boston religious life and on American Unitarian history.