James Pierpont

Who was James Pierpont?

James Pierpont was a Congregationalist minister who is credited with the founding of Yale University in the United States. In 1701, Pierpont, a graduate of The Roxbury Latin School and Harvard University, secured the charter for The Collegiate School of Connecticut, which soon thereafter took the surname of its benefactor Elihu Yale.

James Pierpont married in 1698 as his third wife Mary Hooker, daughter of Rev. Samuel Hooker and granddaughter of Rev. Thomas Hooker, chief founder of the Colony of Connecticut. Their daughter, Sarah Pierpont, married noted colonial minister Jonathan Edwards. James Pierpont's descendants also include U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr and financier John Pierpont Morgan.