Horace Holley

Horace Holley (February 13, 1781 – July 31, 1827) was an American Unitarian minister and president of Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

Early life Horace Holley was born February 13, 1781, in Salisbury, Connecticut, the fourth son of Luther and Sarah (Dakin) Holley. Orville L. Holley and Myron Holley were his brothers. Their father was the founder of a successful iron business, and was also a farmer and merchant. For the next few years, he studied at home under the tutelage of his father. While attending Yale, he became excited by the religious doctrines of Yale president Timothy Dwight, a staunch opponent of deism.

Ministry Holley determined to pursue the profession of law, studying in the office of Riggs & Radcliffe of New York, but abandoned this ambition after only a few short months.

During his short tenure at Greenfield Hill, Holley's religious views became more liberal, in part due to the influence of his wife, Mary. Shortly before the move, Holley's first child, Harriette Williman Holley, was born. Holley was installed as pastor on March 8, 1809. and a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1816.

Presidency of Transylvania University Transylvania University had a long-standing affiliation with the Presbyterian Church, but due to low enrollment and graduation numbers, the Kentucky General Assembly reorganized its Board of Trustees, temporarily diminishing the church's influence. The new board members, mostly men of political influence, believed Horace Holley's liberal religious views would foster academic progress and help realize their dreams of making Lexington the "Athens of the West." He at first refused, but the Board of Trustees persisted, and again unanimously extended their invitation to Holley in 1817. By 1825, the medical school was ranked second in the country, enrollment had quadrupled, and the school had produced 650 graduates.

Tensions between Holley and the school's conservative Presbyterian leadership did not subside, however. Overwhelmed by the opposition, Holley offered his resignation in January 1826, but the Board of Trustees refused to accept it. He resigned again in 1827; this time it was accepted.