Lindsay Hughes Blanton

Lindsay Hughes Blanton (January 29, 1832 – September 17, 1914) was an American Presbyterian minister and academic administrator. He was the third and final chancellor of the Central University of Kentucky in Richmond, Kentucky, from 1880 until its 1901 consolidation with Centre College. He was vice president of the combined school, then also called the "Central University of Kentucky", from 1901 to 1907.

Born in Virginia, Blanton earned a license to preach in 1857 and began as a pastor in Versailles, Kentucky. He stayed there until the outbreak of the Civil War and was appointed as a chaplain in the Confederate States Army in 1863. After the war, he moved to Paris, Kentucky, and he was the pastor at Paris Presbyterian Church for the next 18 years. In 1880, he was elected chancellor of the Central University of Kentucky in Richmond, which had been struggling with a lack of money and students for much of its six-year existence. He attempted to better the school's financial standing by securing assistance from the church, fundraising, and opening enrollment to women, though the issues still persisted. Blanton gave his approval of a planned merger with Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, in 1901, and the merger took effect that July. He retired after six years as vice president of the post-merger school and died seven years later.

Family and early life Lindsay Hughes Blanton was born on January 29, 1832, in Cumberland County, Virginia. He was the second son born to Susan ( 1856) and Joseph Blanton ( 1849). His father was a planter from eastern Virginia whose family had lived in the state since the early 18th century. Blanton was Scotch-Irish on his mother's side. His younger brother was Joseph P. Blanton, whom he raised following the death of both of their parents. Joseph later became president of the First District Normal School (now Truman State University) and the University of Idaho. The church enjoyed a good reputation during his time in charge; the historian William E. Ellis noted that the church was among the "strongest 'southern' churches" in Paris, and a new church building was constructed and dedicated in his first two years there. The year prior, he was selected for a pastorate in Shelbyville, Kentucky, but he opted to remain in Paris until 1880. He was stated clerk to the Synod of Kentucky for his last six years in Paris and continued in this position each year until 1909. Succeeding Robert L. Breck and Rutherford Douglass, Blanton arrived during a period of general downturn for the school, which had only opened six years prior; That year, Blanton was joined by the presidents of four other private colleges in speaking out against state-run colleges; this came shortly after what is now the University of Kentucky split from Transylvania University and was able to use its state-funded status to offer significantly lower tuition costs than were available for private schools.

Money continued to be a problem for much of Blanton's term as chancellor. He allowed the Southern Presbyterian Synod to take control of appointments to the board of curators in 1884 in exchange for financial support, though the situation did not immediately improve. Blanton submitted his resignation as a result in 1886, but it was unanimously rejected by the board. At that time, the school's enrollment had grown to 239 students representing 16 states. The university began admitting women in the 1880s or 1890s in order to increase the enrollment, though the Panic of 1893 offset some of the benefits gained as it limited the success of an ongoing fundraiser. but it gained momentum with Blanton's support around the start of the twentieth century. In 1901, Blanton formally gave his support for consolidation; as a result, Central University's board also supported the plan. The Kentucky Synod approved it near-unanimously on April 23 of that year, and Central's board of curators held their last meeting that June before the merger officially took effect on July 16, 1901. He remained in this position for six years before retiring effective June 11, 1907. The following day was his final commencement ceremony at Central, during which his resignation was formally announced and he was presented a loving cup as a gift from alumni of the first Central University. Upon his retirement, Blanton became the first Kentuckian to receive an annuity of $1,000 from Carnegie Foundation's Commission for Retired Educators. Central did not hire a replacement as vice president.

Personal life, death, and legacy Blanton married Elizabeth Irvine, of Danville, on October 6, 1857. The couple had six children—three sons and three daughters—and remained married until Elizabeth's death on June 4, 1901. Blanton then remarried to Myra Bracken , of Lebanon, Kentucky, on August 17, 1904.

The historian C. T. Thompson called the merger the "crowning act" of Blanton's life, noting that it "[united the] Presbyterian forces for education in Kentucky". Blanton was noted as being an "efficient pastor" with "abundant enthusiasm" for education by the 1907 National Cyclopædia of American Biography, and the historian E. Polk Johnson called him "one of the most widely known Presbyterian figures in the south". His obituary in The Carlisle Mercury referred to him as "one of the foremost educators in the state", and he was eulogized by governor James B. McCreary as "a soldier, educator, minister, Christian, and friend".

Blanton's original on-campus residence in Richmond, a brick house constructed in 1886 at a cost of $6,500 , was later named for him. Blanton House was the residence of the president of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) until 2013, when it became EKU's alumni center.