Nathan Bishop

Nathan Bishop (August 12, 1808 – August 7, 1880) was an American educator and philanthropist who served as the first superintendent of schools in Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston. He later spearheaded an effort to create a college for African-American Baptists in Texas which led to the creation of Bishop College.

Early life Bishop was born on August 12, 1808, in Vernon, New York. He was the eldest son of Connecticut natives Elnathan and Statira (Sperry) Bishop and grew up on the family farm.

During the American Civil War, Bishop was active in the United States Christian Commission. From 1863 to 1865 he served as the chairman of the commission's New York Branch.

American Baptist Home Mission Society In 1865, Bishop was elected to the executive board of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. In 1875 he was elected corresponding secretary after serving as acting secretary following the death of E. E. L. Taylor the previous year. Bishop gave the society $30,000 to retire its debts upon he retirement from the organization in 1877.

Board of Indian Commissioners In 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Bishop to the Board of Indian Commissioners. That summer, Bishop and two other commissioners traveled to the Indian Territory, where they visited the Arapaho, Comanche, Apache, and other tribes. During the trip he contracted a severe malarial fever which permanently impacted his health.