Clinton B. Fisk
| Clinton B. Fisk | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Clinton Bowen Fisk |
| Born |
December 8, 1828 York, New York |
| Died | July 9, 1890 (aged 61) New York City, New York |
| Place of burial | Oak Grove Cemetery, Coldwater, Michigan |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1862–1865 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General Brevet Major General
|
| Commands held | District of Southeast Missouri Department of North Missouri |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Other work | Established Fisk University |
Clinton Bowen Fisk (December 8, 1828 – July 9, 1890), for whom Fisk University is named, was a senior officer during Reconstruction in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. He endowed Fisk University with $30,000. In addition, he helped establish the first free public schools in the South for white and African-American children.
Fisk was born in York, Livingston County, New York, the son of Benjamin and Lydia Fisk. As part of the 19th-century westward migration, his family soon moved to Coldwater, Michigan. He studied in the preliminary course at Albion Seminary before becoming one of the five students to matriculate on the opening day of Michigan Central College (now Hillsdale College) in 1844. Fisk later became a merchant, miller, and banker in Coldwater. He suffered financial disaster in the Panic of 1857. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri where he started working in the insurance business.
An abolitionist, Fisk was appointed colonel of the 33rd Missouri Infantry of the Union Army on September 5, 1862. He organized a brigade and was commissioned brigadier general November 24, 1862. He served most of the American Civil War in Missouri and Arkansas, commanding first the District of Southeast Missouri and later the Department of North Missouri. The primary duty of these commands was opposing raids into Missouri by Confederate States of America cavalry and guerrillas.
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Wikipedia