Adonijah Welch

Adonijah Strong Welch
United States Senator from Florida
In office June 17, 1868 – March 4, 1869
Preceded by	Stephen Mallory
Succeeded by	Abijah Gilbert
Personal details
Born	April 12, 1821 East Hampton, Connecticut
Died	March 14, 1889 (aged 67) Pasadena, California
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	University of Michigan Law School

Adonijah Strong Welch (April 12, 1821 – March 14, 1889) was a United States Senator from Florida and the first president of Iowa State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University). Welch also served as Michigan State Normal School's first principal (now Eastern Michigan University)

Early life

Born in East Hampton, Connecticut, Welch moved to Jonesville, Michigan in 1839 and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1846. Welch was admitted to the bar in 1847 and became a high school principal in 1849. He spent about a year participating in the California Gold Rush of 1849.

Career

Welch served as the first principal of Michigan State Normal School (now Eastern Michigan University) from 1851 to 1865. In 1859, he married Eunice P. Buckingham and they had three children.

In 1865, Welch moved to Pensacola, Florida and eventually to Jacksonville, Florida for unspecified health reasons. There, he established a lumber mill and engaged in orange growing. His wife, Eunice, died in 1867 and, in 1868, he married Mary Beaumont Dudley with whom he had two more children.

As part of the post-Civil War Reconstruction, Florida was readmitted to the United States in 1868 and Welch was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican. He served in the Senate for less than nine months but declined renomination, opting instead to become the first president of Iowa State Agricultural College. He served as college president from 1869 to 1883 before resigning.

From 1885 until his death, Welch served as a psychology professor at Iowa State. In 1889, he died at his summer home in Pasadena, California. Adonijah Welch is interred at Iowa State College Cemetery in Ames, Iowa.

Welch Hall

Welch Hall in 1899

North Side of Welch (Left) south side of Welch(Right)

On the south end of Eastern Michigan University, named after Welch, Welch Hall was constructed in 1895 and was completed three days after Starkweather Hall. Welch Hall is the second oldest building on the EMU campus. The building is designed after Georgian Revival Architecture style Architecture. The building's original name was the "Training School" and served as the Teacher Training School from 1896 to the 1960s. During the building's lifetime, Welch has served as classroom space and various department offices. Due to poor maintenance the building was closed during the 1980s and almost demolished. In 1984, Welch Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Welch Hall houses EMU’s executive offices which includes the Office of the President.

See also

• List of United States Senators from Florida
• United States congressional delegations from Florida
• Iowa State University notables

References

• United States Congress. "Adonijah Welch (id: W000261)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• This article incorporates facts obtained from: Lawrence Kestenbaum, The Political Graveyard

External links

• United States Congress. "Adonijah Welch (id: W000261)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Adonijah Strong Welch at PoliticalGraveyard.com
• Adonijah S. Welch at Iowa State e-Library
• Adonijah Strong Welch at American National Biography, published by Oxford University

1. Note: Stephen Mallory was Senator, but withdrew from Senate after Florida seceded in 1861.