Author: Stiles, Ezra
Biography:
STILES, Ezra (1727-95: ANBO)
pseudonym Philagathos
An eminent public figure, President of Yale and one of the most learned men in the country, Ezra Stiles published only one poem--and that late in life, and under a pseudonym, if the attribution is even correct. He was born in North Haven CT, son of the Congregational minister Isaac Stiles and his first wife Kezia Taylor, who died in childbirth. Stiles followed his father to Yale (Class of 1746) and into the church. His religious views were liberal and his intellectual interests broad. Before being ordained in his first church in Newport RI (1755), he was called to the bar and carried on a law practice in New Haven CT for two years. In 1757 he married Elizabeth Hubbard (d 1775); the couple had eight children. President of Yale from 1778 until his death in 1795, Stiles is credited with having raised both the intellectual and the financial standing of the university during his time in office. While President he also undertook teaching in divinity, philosophy, and astrology. His son-in-law Abiel Holmes (q.v.) wrote the first biography of him (1798). (ANBO 21 Oct. 2020; Dexter; Appleton) HJ