William Staughton

alt=Photograph of James Peale's portrait of William Staughton. Courtesy of the University Archives, The George Washington University William Staughton (January 4, 1770 – December 12, 1829) was a Baptist clergyman, educator, and music composer. He was also a Chaplain of the United States Senate and the first President of Columbian College from 1821-1827, which is the original name and oldest division (1821) of The George Washington University.

Life Staughton was born on January 4, 1770, in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, to Sutton and Keziah Staughton. In 1792, he graduated from Bristol Baptist College. He became a preacher in Northampton, and in 1792 helped found the Baptist Missionary Society.

Staughton moved to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1793. After marrying Maria Hanson shortly after his arrival, he preached in Georgetown, South Carolina, for approximately two years. In 1795, Staughton moved to York City and then to Bordentown, New Jersey, where he preached at a Baptist church, headed an academy, and was ordained a Baptist minister on June 17, 1797. He continued his educational studies at Princeton University and received a Doctor of Divinity in 1801. From 1805 to 1811, Staughton fulfilled pastorship positions at the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1805–1811) and the Sansom Street Church (1811–1822). Concurrently, Staughton also acted as the designated tutor of the Baptist Education Society of America of the Middle States, was one of the founding members of the Bible Society at Philadelphia (now known as the Pennsylvania Bible Society), helped organize the Triennial Convention from 1814-1826, and served as the Principal of the Theological Department of the Triennial Convention in 1817.

William accepted a position as president of the Literary and Theological Institution of Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, in September 1829. However, while making the journey to the college, Staughton died on December 12, 1829. He was originally buried in the District of Columbia's Episcopal cemetery, but his body was later moved to Philadelphia's Sansom Street Church Cemetery.

A collection of documents and artifacts associated with Staughton is maintained by the Special Collections Research Center at The George Washington University. The collection includes correspondence, writings, photographs of paintings, and biographical information on the Staughton family.