Томас Грин Клемсон: Дипломат, ғалым және университет негіз қалаушысы

American diplomat and university founder

Thomas Green Clemson (July 1, 1807April 6, 1888) was an American politician and statesman, serving as Chargés d'Affaires to Belgium, and United States Superintendent of Agriculture. He served in the Confederate Army and founded Clemson University in South Carolina. Historians have called Clemson "a quintessential nineteenth century Renaissance man." Partly because of this mixed religious background, Clemson's personal religious belief is not well documented. In 1813, his father died, and his father's second cousin, John Gest, was appointed guardian over him and his five siblings. Clemson was one beneficiary of his father's life savings of $100,000
($ today), which was split among him and his siblings. In 1829, Clemson wrote a letter to Benjamin Silliman, M. D., about his research of iron ore. The date of his return to Philadelphia is unknown. Clemson was awarded the Order of Leopold by King Leopold I during his time as chargé. His South Carolina plot was not profitable while Clemson was abroad in Belgium, but he used the time to further his studies in the field of agriculture. He translated from French the lengthy article "Extraction of Sugar from the Beet," written by Louis Melsens, a professor at the Royal Veterinary School of Cureghem.

Upon his return from Belgium, Clemson chose to live in Maryland, not too far from Washington, D. C., for access to utilities and resources for his research, studies, and experiments. In 1853, he purchased a 100 acre plot in what is now Mount Rainier, Maryland, which he called "The Home." His studies in agricultural chemistry led to findings that were published in The American Farmer and other scientific journals. He attended the meetings of both the Maryland and the United States Agricultural Societies. Among other projects, he studied the cattle disease Texas Fever, demonstrating that cattle moving from the North to the South contracted the disease, whereas cattle going from the South to the North transmitted the disease. His findings and distinction as a scientist led to his invitation to speak at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington in 1858. Clemson was active in the field of agricultural research for many years to come, as more of his documents became published. From 1860 to 1861, Clemson served in the Buchanan administration as Superintendent of Agriculture.

As the threat of civil war became a reality, Clemson resigned this post on March 4, 1861. He stood on the side of his adopted state. Following the firing on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, Clemson left Maryland for South Carolina. In Pendleton on November 2, 1861, Clemson spoke to the Farmers Society and publicly "Urged the establishment of a department of agriculture in the government of the Confederate States which, in addition to fostering the general interest of agriculture, would also serve as a sort of university for the diffusion of scientific knowledge and the improvement of agriculture." Fifty four year old Clemson, enlisted in the Confederate States Army and was assigned to the Army of the Trans Mississippi Department. Clemson worked in Arkansas and Texas developing nitrate mines for explosives. He was paroled on June 9, 1865, at Shreveport, Louisiana, after four years of service. His son, Captain John Calhoun Clemson, also enlisted in the Confederate States Army and spent two years in a Union prison camp on Johnson's Island, in Lake Erie, Ohio. He was a first lieutenant in the Confederate Army.

On November 13, 1838, at the age of 31, Clemson married Anna Maria Calhoun, daughter of John C. Calhoun, the noted Senator from South Carolina and 7th Vice President of the United States and Floride Calhoun. After Calhoun's death, Floride Calhoun, Anna Calhoun Clemson, and two other Calhoun children inherited the Fort Hill plantation near Pendleton, South Carolina. It was sold for $49,000 (~$ in ) to Calhoun's oldest son, Andrew Pickens Calhoun, in 1854. After the war and upon Andrew's death in 1865, Floride Calhoun foreclosed on his heirs before her death in 1866. After lengthy legal procedures, Fort Hill was auctioned in 1872. The executor of her estate won the auction, which was divided among her surviving heirs. Her daughter, Anna Clemson, received the residence with about 814 acres (329.6 ha) and her great granddaughter, Floride Isabella Lee, received about 288 acres (116.6 ha). Thomas Green and Anna Clemson moved into Fort Hill in 1872. After Anna's death in 1875, Thomas Green Clemson inherited Fort Hill and lived there until his death. He died on April 6, 1888, and is buried in St. Paul's Episcopal churchyard in Pendleton, South Carolina.

Thomas Green Clemson and his wife Anna Calhoun Clemson had four children. Their first child, whose name is not known, died as an infant in 1839. In 1841, John Calhoun Clemson was born. Shortly after in 1842, Anna Clemson gave birth to her daughter Floride Elizabeth Clemson. At age 15, John was getting treatment for a spinal condition in Northampton, Massachusetts. Another child, Cornelia "Nina" Clemson, was born in October 1855; she died in 1858 of scarlet fever. On July 23, 1871, their daughter Floride died. Clemson's only son John died three weeks later, on August 10, 1871. However, Clemson's intent was no secret: he created the university because he believed South Carolina needed "an institution that vandal hands could not pollute," that is, a university that did not allow both blacks and whites to attend. The military college, founded in 1889, opened its doors in 1893 to 446 cadets. Clemson Agricultural College was renamed Clemson University in 1964. A statue of Thomas Green Clemson, as well as the Fort Hill house, are located on the campus. The town of Calhoun that bordered the campus was renamed Clemson in 1943.