Samuel Colgate

Who was Samuel Colgate?

Samuel Colgate, son of William Colgate, was an American manufacturer and philanthropist, born in New York City. He became widely known as a soap maker, and the manufactory he built in Jersey City developed into one of the largest establishments of its kind in the world. He was also prominent in philanthropic work. For more than 30 years he was trustee of Colgate University, and for many years he was president of the New York Baptist Education Society, president of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, and a member of the executive committee of the American Baptist Missionary Union and of the American Tract Society. One of his most noteworthy achievements was the collection of 30,000 volumes of reports, comprising the documentary records of the Baptist denomination.