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Isaac Hollister Hall
Overview
Isaac Hollister Hall (1837–1896) was a Hamilton College alumnus (Class of 1859) who became one of the leading American orientalists and Semitic languages scholars of the 19th century. Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, and son of Dr. Edwin Hall, professor at Auburn Theological Seminary, he served as a tutor at Hamilton College after graduation before pursuing an international scholarly career that included a professorship at the Protestant College in Beirut, Syria, and a long tenure as Curator of Antiquities at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He was also a founder and president of the New York Association of Hamilton Alumni.
Relevance to Research
Hall is one of Hamilton’s most distinguished 19th-century alumni in the humanities. The 1859–60 and 1861–62 catalogs document his undergraduate career — he won the Underwood Prize in Chemistry and delivered a Philosophical Oration at graduation. The 1862–63 catalog shows him serving as Tutor at Hamilton immediately after graduation. The 1876–77 catalog records him as a faculty member receiving an honorary Ph.D. from Hamilton. The 1896–97 catalog carries a detailed obituary documenting his scholarly career, institutional roles, and alumni leadership.
Notes
- Born December 12, 1837, Norwalk, Connecticut; son of Dr. Edwin Hall, professor at Auburn Theological Seminary (1854–76)
- Hamilton College, Class of 1859 (enrolled 1859–60; A.B. conferred after further study; 1861–62 catalog lists him as A.B.)
- Won the Underwood Prize in Chemistry and delivered the Philosophical Oration at Hamilton commencement (1859–60 catalog)
- Served as Tutor at Hamilton College and assistant in the Litchfield Observatory, 1860–63
- Professor at the Protestant College, Beirut, Syria, 1875–77
- Staff correspondent in Biblical Research for The Independent and the Sunday School Times
- Curator of Antiquities, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1884–96
- President of the American Philological Association, 1888
- Author of “Critical Bibliography of the Greek New Testament as published in America”
- Degrees: LL.B. from Columbia College; Ph.D. (honorary) from Hamilton College; L.H.D. from Dublin University and Columbia College
- Hamilton College conferred honorary Ph.D. on him; listed among honorary degree recipients in the 1876–77 catalog
- One of the founders of the New York Association of Hamilton Alumni in 1868; elected president of that association in February 1896
- Delivered a memorial address in Hamilton College chapel on the astronomical achievements of Dr. C. H. F. Peters, November 1890
- Died at Mount Vernon, New York, July 2, 1896; buried in Auburn Cemetery
Related Sources
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1859-60 — student listing, Underwood Prize, Philosophical Oration
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1861-62 — listed with A.B. degree
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1862-63 — listed as Tutor at Hamilton College
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1876-77 — honorary Ph.D. from Hamilton
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1896-97 — full obituary notice