William Stith (1707 – September 19, 1755)[1] was an early American historian and an Anglican minister.[2] He was the third president of the College of William & Mary (1752–1755), where Stith Hall was named for him.
William Stith | |
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3rd President of the College of William & Mary | |
In office 1752–1755 | |
Preceded by | William Dawson |
Succeeded by | Thomas Dawson |
Personal details | |
Born | 1707 |
Died | September 19, 1755 |
Alma mater | College of William & Mary The Queen's College, Oxford |
Signature | |
Stith was the son of Captain John Stith and Mary Randolph, a daughter of William Randolph (1650– 1711).[1][3][a] Stith's grandfather was Major John Stith, who participated in Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion.[1][4]
Stith was educated at the College of William & Mary's Grammar School and The Queen's College, Oxford.[2][5] On May 27, 1728, he received his B.A. degree. On April 12, 1731, while still in England, he was ordained a minister of the Anglican Church.[2] He then returned to Williamsburg.[2]
In October 1731, he became a master of the College of William & Mary's Grammar School. He also began his role at the Virginia House of Burgesses as a chaplain.[2] Stith was a minister for 16 years at the Henrico Parish in Henrico County beginning in 1736.[2] He was also a minister in York County, Virginia of the York-Hampton Parish. In the 1740s and 1750s, three of his sermons were published.[2]
The Sinfulness and Pernicious Nature of Gaming, 1752 was preached by Stith in Williamsburg before the Virginia General Assembly on March 1, 1752.[6] The General Assembly had considered amending the 1748 Act for preventing excessive and deceitful gambling, but tabled the measure after hearing the sermon.[6] The sermon was published in 1752 and became one of the best selling titles that year.[6]
He is the author of one of the earliest histories of Virginia, The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia: being an Essay towards a General History of this Colony, published in Williamsburg by William Parks in 1747.[7][8]
He was also the College of William & Mary's third president (1752–1755) and is the namesake of Stith Hall, a residence hall on the campus.[9][10]
He married his first cousin, Judith Randolph, the daughter of Thomas Randolph of Tuckahoe on July 13, 1738.[2][b] They had three daughters: Judith, Elizabeth, and Mary.[1]