Thomas B. Craighead

Thomas Brown Craighead (17531824) was an American Presbyterian minister and educator. He served as the president of the Davidson Academy from 1786 to 1806, and Cumberland College from 1806 to 1809, two precursors to the University of Nashville. By 1811, he was ostracized by the Presbyterian Church and barred from preaching because of his belief in free will.

Early life Thomas Brown Craighead was born in Augusta County, Virginia, a son of the Rev. Alexander and Agnes (Brown) Craighead. His grandfather was a noted Presbyterian pastor, Rev. Thomas Craighead. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University) in 1775.

Career Craighead started his career as an educator in North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky, where he taught in Presbyterian schools. The school was located in a house where the Spring Hill Cemetery is now situated. he married Jane Erwin Dickerson, who had been widowed after her husband was killed in a duel with future President Andrew Jackson in 1806.