PIERPONT, JOHN.
Born in Litchfield, Connecticut, 1785; died in Medford, Connecticut,
1866. Pierpont was one of the earliest of American poets, his
birth antedating that of Bryant.
Most of his life was spent in the Unitarian ministry, although
he had passed through a period of teaching and practicing law.
He was one of the earliest abolitionists and resigned his charge
at Hollis Street Church, Boston, as early as 1845 because of
being in advance of his congregation on this and other public
questions. At the outbreak of the Civil War, although already
seventy-six years old, he volunteered as an army chaplain, but
was transferred, owing to his feeble health, to the Treasury
Department where he served until his death in 1866.
This biographical note is reprinted
from The Little Book of American Poets: 1787-1900. Ed.
Jessie B. Rittenhouse. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1915. |
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