William Colgate 

William Colgate (1783-1857) was born in Hollingbourne, Kent, the son of a farmer who imbibed strong republican, pro-American, pro-French sentiments. In 1798 the Colgates emigrated to Maryland. In 1804, William moved to New York City, where he was apprenticed to John Slidell, a soapmaker. After three years Colgate started his own company, manufacturing various soap and petroleum products, eventually becoming one of New York City’s most prosperous and influential citizens. He was first affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (his father had been an Arian Baptist), but in 1808 he was baptized and joined the First Baptist Church of New York.  In 1811 he moved his membership to the congregation at Oliver Street and in 1838 to the Tabernacle, for which he had donated huge sums for its construction. He was a major supporter of Baptist schools and Baptist missionary enterprises, as well as the American Bible Society. In 1827 he helped found the American and Foreign Bible Society (largely a Baptist group initially). He also assisted in the founding of the American Bible Union in 1850. His sons, James (1818-1904) and Samuel (1822-1897), continued his legacy of involvement in higher education and, as a result of their generous endowments to Madison University (originally the Hamilton Institution), the school was renamed Colgate University in 1888. See William Brackney, ed., Historical Dictionary of the Baptists (Lanham MD: Scarecrow Press, 1999) 108; William Cathcart, The Baptist Encyclopedia (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts, 1881), 249-250.