Thaddeus Dod

Who was Thaddeus Dod?

Thaddeus Dod was a prominent Presbyterian minister in Western Pennsylvania. He is one of the founders of Washington & Jefferson College.

Dod's ancestors were English Puritans who settled in Connecticut in 1645 and migrated to the Newark, New Jersey area. Dod was born in 1740 and was raised in the "hill town" of Mendham Borough in Morris County, New Jersey. In 1751 at the age of 11, he dedicated his life to "God and doctrine." Dod funded his education at the College of New Jersey by teaching for a number of years, graduating in 1773 at the age of 33. He married Phoebe Baldwin shortly thereafter. He continued to study theology and was licensed to preach in 1775. He was ordained by the Presbytery of New York in 1777 and left to preach at Patterson Creek, Hampshire County, Virginia

In addition to a devotion to religion, Dod held a strong grasp of the classical subjects, especially the languages of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. He exhibited an uncommon proficiency in literature and sciences; he composed poetry, often breaking into verse in a dead language in his diaries. As a preacher, he spoke on the importance of sacred music, a subject he studied scientifically, and introduced "singing without reading the line" to his congregations. In person, he was described as "dark and vivid, quick and ardent."