Joseph Battell (1806–1874)

Joseph Battell (April 17, 1806 – July 8, 1874) was a businessman and benefactor of Yale University.

Joseph Battell
Sketch of Joseph Battell by J. N. Niemeyer
Born(1806-04-17)April 17, 1806
DiedJuly 8, 1874(1874-07-08) (aged 68)

Battell was born to Joseph Battell (1774–1841) and Sarah Robbins. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1824 before moving to New York City.[1]

Battell's sister, Irene Battell, married Yale professor William Augustus Larned. Battell was an enthusiast of sacred music and established a fund at Yale for it in 1854.[1] This gift was the first towards an eventual School of Music, officially founded in 1890.[2] He later gave $30,000 to fund the construction of Battell Chapel, completed in 1876, and willed Yale an additional $50,000 to ensure its completion. Battell died in Brooklyn, New York on July 8, 1874.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Dexter, Frederick Bowditch (1892). A Catalogue, with Descriptive Notices, of the Portraits, Busts, Etc., Belonging to Yale University. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  2. ^ Noss, Luther (1984). A History of the Yale School of Music, 1855-1970. Yale School of Music. p. 5.