Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/231

 CLAP

CLAPP

CLAP, Thomas, educator, was born in Scit- uate, Mass., June 26, 1703; son of Deacon Stephen and Temperance Clap; grandson of Samuel and Hannah (Gill) Clap ; and great-grandson of Thomas and Abigail Clap. He was gi-aduated from Har- vard in 1722. He then stvidied theology and in August, 1726. succeeded the Rev. Samuel Whiting as pastor of the church at Windliam, Conn. He was especially learned in mathematics, astron- omy and philosophy. He constructed the first orrery or planetarium made in America. In 1739 he was chosen president of Yale coUege as successor to the Rev. Elisha "Williams. His people in Windham were so unwilling to part with him that the matter was referred to an ecclesiastical council, who advocated the change, and on April 2, 1740, he was formally installed in the presidency. The state legislature voted to pay an indemnity of £53 to the people of Wind- ham for the loss of their minister. On assuming the duties of his new office Mr. Clap at once drew up a code of laws to supersede the laws of Harvard college, which had until then been in use at Yale. These were published in 1748 in Latin, the first book published in New Haven. In 174.J he obtained a new charter for the college from the state legislature, and in 1752 a new building was erected. He next called for a new chapel which was completed in 1763 and many marked improvements were made under his ad- ministration. Whitefield's visit to New England brought some unpopularity upon President Clap, who had no sympathy with the revivalist. After several unsuccessful attempts by the trustees to secure a professor of divinity he was invited in 1753 to preach to the students in college hall. This course was objected to by the New Haven church, which claimed the college as within its parish boundaries. In 1756 a professor of divinity was chosen. Other controversies increased his unpopularity and a memorial was sent to the legislature petitioning for an examination into the coUege aff'airs. A written denial of the charges made was prepared by him and the memorial was dismissed by the legislatui-e. In 1765 he called for the resignation of two of the tutors, who had embraced the opinions of the Sandemanians. The remaining tutor then re- signed, as did the successors shortly afterward. President Clap offered liis resignation in July, 1766, and after conferring the degrees in Septem- ber he retired from office. He was married in 1727 to Mary, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Whit- ney, by whom he had two daughters : Mary, who became the wife of David Wooster, afterward major-general in the Revolutionary army, and Temperance, who was married to the Rev. Tim- othy Pitkin, son of Gov. William Pitkin of Connecticut. Among his publications are: An

Introduction to the Study of Philosophy (1743) ; The Reliijious Constitution of Colleges, especially of Yale College, Xeic Haven (1754) ; A Brief Histoi-y and Vindication of the Doctrines received and established in the Churches of JVeiv England, with a specimen of the New Scheme of Religion beginning to prevail (1755) ; An Essay on the Xatiire and Foundation of moral Virtue and Obligation (1765) ; Annals or His- tory of Yale College (1766) ; and Conjectures upon the Nature and Motions of Meteors, which are above the Atmosphe7-e (1781). He died in New Haven, Conn., Jan. 7, 1767.

CLAPP, Asa, merchant, was born in Mansfield, Mass., March 15, 1762; son of Abiel Clapp; grand- son of Samuel and Bethiah (Dean) Clapp ; gi-eat- grandson of Thomas and ]Mary (Fisher) Clapp; and great ^ grandson of Thomas and Abigail Clap. When very young he volunteered to act a.s substitute for one who had been drafted for the expedition for the expulsion of the British army from Rhode Island, was appointed a non-commis- sioned officer and remained in the service until honorably discharged. He then proceeded to Boston, shipped on a vessel, and soon obtained command. He passed several j'ears at sea, and in 1793 was captured and held in England for six months, when he was released and indemnified for his loss. He was married to Eliza Wendall, daughter of Dr. Jacob Quincy of Boston, and in 1798 became a merchant in Portland, where he accumulated a large fortune in foreign and do- mestic trade. In 1807 when congress laid an em- bargo on the shipping in the United States he firmly supported the government although it was greatl}' to his financial disadvantage. He was chosen a member of the Massachusetts council in 1811. In 1812 when an embargo was again laid, and a few months later war was declared, Mr. Clapp again gave the government his support, and voluntarily subscribed nearly one-half of the whole amount of his property to the loan to sus- tain the national credit. In 1816 he was ap- pointed by President Madison one of the commis- sioners to obtain subscriptions to the capital stock of the Bank of the United States, to which corpo- ration he was the largest subscriber in Maine. He was elected a delegate to the convention held in 1819 for the purpose of forming the Maine constitution. He was repeatedly chosen a repre- sentative in the state legislature. He died in Portland, Me., April 17, 1848.

CLAPP, Asa William H., representative, was born in Portland, Me., in 1805; son of Asa and Elizabeth Wendall (Quincy) Clapp. He was graduated at the Norwich (Vt.) military acad- emy in 1823, and entered business with his father. In 1846 he was elected a representative in the 30th U.S. congress. He occupied many iK)sitions of trust and honor in Portland, being a director