Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education. Records, 1827-1877

Introduction

The Society for the Promotion of Collegiate Theological Education (SPCTE) was founded ca. 1843 in New York, New York, for the purpose of providing direct financial aid to struggling colleges in the mid-western and western states. The organization was sponsored jointly by the Congregationalists and Presbyterians; in 1874 SPCTE merged with the American Education Society. After 1874, SPCTE was administered by the Congregationalists.

The history of SPCTE was intertwined with the American Education Society, New West Education Committee and Congregational Education Society. American Education Society was founded in 1815 for the "purpose of aiding indigent young men of talents and hopeful piety in acquiring a learned and competent education for the gospel ministry." It developed a more Congregational focus in the late 19th century and took on the name Congregational Education Society in 1894, and supported numerous schools throughout the United States. The New West Education Commission, was founded ca. 1880 to establish schools in Utah and neighboring western states to combat the influence the Mormonism in schools.

(Written by Lisa Plato, 10/1996)

Researchers should consult the American Education Society, RG 0752, for related material. There is a copy of the annual reports of the American Congregational Association (ACA), which would include events of SPCTE. Also, the histories of the ACA in the Congregational Library collection would further illuminate SPCTE and the social, political, and religious environment in which it resided.

Scope and Content

This collection consists mostly of incoming/outgoing correspondence collected by secretary Theron Baldwin. All the following series are arranged in chronological order. Much of the folder arrangement was that kept by Theron Baldwin.

Folder List