Dwight

dwit, Timothy (1752-1817), an American clergyman. He was born at Norwich, Connecticut. His father was a merchant. His mother was a daughter of the famous Jonathan Edwards. It is said that he was able to read the Bible fluently at the age of four. He was graduated at Yale at the age of seventeen. He taught in a grammar school, tutored in Yale, and served as a chaplain in the Revolutionary army. After the close of the war he opened an academy. In 1795 he was selected president of Yale College, a position which he held until his death. He is considered one of the ablest of a long line of Yale presidents. His published writings, which reach seven volumes, consist chiefly of theological essays and sermons. A grandson of the same name, a noted Greek and Biblical scholar, became president of Yale in 1886.