The Henry Ward Beecher Statue

Henry Ward Beecher, the famed preacher, orator, and notorious womanizer, was a member of the Amherst Class of 1834. He went on to become a trustee of the College in 1867, and, as King remarks in "The Consecrated Eminence", Beecher "is one of the few ministers ever to decline the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from his alma mater" (61).
 




  An article in the Spring 2001 Amherst Alumni Magazine (DeWan, 20-21) brought to light a number of interesting stories about Beecher including tales of his trial in 1872 on charges of "alienation of affection" by the journalist Theodore Tilton, with whose wife Beecher was said to have had an affair.

The statue was sculpted by J.Q.A. Ward, whose name is seen here at the base of the statue. (Photo taken 12 October 2001).

View these other Amherstiana items featuring the Henry Ward Beecher Statue:

A Simple Statement of the Needs
The R.T.B. Hand Collection: Octagon Photo

©1998-2002 Brian T. Meacham

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