biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1759–1839)
|
| biography:
| Social agitator, scientist, and educator, born in London, UK. Trained as a lawyer and doctor, and with a smattering of chemistry and philosophy, he espoused radical ideas which closed off advancement in England, so in 1794 he emigrated to the USA with Joseph Priestley. He practised both law and medicine in Pennsylvania, but also became a pamphleteer in support of Thomas Jefferson. After serving as a Pennsylvania state judge (1804–11), he turned to teaching chemistry, first at Carlisle (now Dickinson) College (1811–15), then at the University of Pennsylvania (1815–19). He became president of South Carolina College, teaching the sciences and political economy, and helped open the first medical school and insane asylum in the state. His libertarianism led him to become a defender of states' rights, and he promoted the Southern view on the tariff, nullification, and even slavery; following his own logic, he was one of the first to argue for secession. |
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