Established in 1889 as part of the university land grant program enacted by the United States government (through the Morrill Laws of 1862 and 1890) in the 19th century, Clemson University derives its name from an area man named Thomas Clemson.
Born in the early 1800s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Clemson was educated at a Vermont military academy before continuing his education across the Atlantic in Paris, where he earned a degree in a scientific field known as essay: molecular biology. . specialty that deals predominantly with minerals and ores. During a period in the United States, Clemson co-authored agricultural education legislation and married the daughter of a prominent politician before returning to Europe, where he served as a Belgian diplomat between the ages of 37 and 44.
The family of the women Thomas Clemson married has almost as much to do with the eventual name of Clemson University as anything Thomas Clemson has personally done. Clemson married Anna Calhoun when he was 31 years old and at that time (November 13, 1838) he consolidated his presence among America’s elite by marrying the daughter of the former South Carolina senator and vice president of the United States for two terms. (under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson). ) John Calhoun.
The eventual death of the wealthy and influential John Calhoun left his inheritance to be divided between his surviving wife and three children. The most important piece of wealth left was a plantation known as Fort Hill, which was located near Pendleton, South Carolina. Pendleton is located in Anderson County in the westernmost corner of South Carolina. Neighboring Pickens County is home to the town of Clemson and Clemson University, both of which are named after Thomas Clemson, the eventual heir to the Calhoun fortune after outliving blood heirs which included his wife who he passed away thirteen years before him.
During his career as a public servant, Thomas Clemson worked with the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan, as Superintendent of Agriculture, where he urged the establishment of agricultural universities and other similar institutions of learning. For the most part, it was only in death that his wishes for greater agricultural education opportunities came true.
After outliving his children and wife, he left his fortune to the state in a will drawn up a few years before his death. Clemson’s generous donations were originally used to fund a military college known as Clemson Agricultural College, which was later renamed in 1964 to present-day Clemson University. Today, a statue bearing the image of Thomas Clemson stands on the Clemson University campus and reminds all who pass the namesake that the school’s prosperous history began.