Josiah Meigs was born on August 21, 1757 in Middletown, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale University in 1778 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A). In 1794, he took the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy at Yale. Meigs taught there until 1801 when he was chosen as the president of the University of Georgia (UGA). His salary was fixed at fifteen hundred dollars, and he was given $400 in moving expenses for his family. August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the south-central part of the state, 16 miles (26 km) south of Hartford. ... Yale University is a private university in New Haven, Connecticut. ... 1778 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... The University of Georgia, often abbreviated UGA, is located approximately 70 miles north-east of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia and is the largest institution of higher learning and research in the State of Georgia. ...

Meigs resigned as president on August 9, 1810 after clashing with the Board of Trustees for the University; however, he continued on in the postion of Professor of Mathematics, Natural Philosophy and Chemistry for one more year. John Brown was elected by the Board of Trustees as the new president. August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

After his academic career at UGA, Meigs was appointed Surveyor General by President James Madison in 1812. He then accepted an appointment as Commissioner of the United States General Land Office in Washington, D.C. in 1814. James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was the fourth (1809–1817) President of the United States. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The General Land Office, a former agency of the United States government, was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury relating to the public domain. ... This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Meigs was also the president of the Columbian Institute, one of the original corporators and trustees of Columbian College (now George Washington University), and professor of experimental philosophy there. The George Washington University (GWU) is a private university in Washington, D.C., founded in 1821 as The Columbian College. ... The George Washington University (GWU) is a private university in Washington, D.C., founded in 1821 as The Columbian College. ...

In 1782, Meigs married Clara Benjamin. 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Meigs died on September 4, 1822 and was originally buried in Holmead's Cemetery in Washington, D.C. The cemetery was disbanded and the graves removed, so he was reinterred in Arlington National Cemetery in 1878 in the lot of his grandson, Major General Montgomery Cunningham Meigs. September 4 is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years). ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Robert E. Lees home. ... 1878 (MDCCCLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Montgomery C. Meigs Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (IPA: ) (May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career U.S. Army officer, civil engineer, construction engineer for a number of facilities in Washington, D.C., and Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. ...

Other interesting facts about Josiah Meigs:

• His daughter Clara married John Forsyth, secretary of state under Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren
• Implemented Georgia's first physics curriculum at the university in 1801.
• UGA annually recognizes up to five faculty members each year with the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship, UGA’s highest teaching honor
• Meigs Hall, at the northwest corner of UGA, is named in Meigs' honor
• Served as city clerk of New Haven, Connecticut (1784-1789)
• Established The New Haven Gazette (later known as The New Haven Gazette and the Connecticut Magazine)
• During his tenure at the U.S. Land Office, he instituted the nation's first system of daily meteorological observations at the land offices throughout the country.

Portait of U.S. Secretary of State John Forsyth John Forsyth (October 22, 1780 – October 21, 1841) was a 19th century American politician from Georgia. ... Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845), was the first governor of Florida (1821), seventh President of the United States (1829-1837), hero of the Battle of New Orleans (1815), a founder of the Democratic Party, and the eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the eighth President of the United States. ... Nickname: The Elm City Official website: www. ... 1784 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Abraham Baldwin Abraham Baldwin (November 23, 1754—March 4, 1807) was an American politician, Patriot, and Founding Father from the U.S. state of Georgia. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

References

• History of the University of Georgia by Thomas Walter Reed; Frontmatter and Chapter I: The Beginnings of the University, Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949
• Arlington National Cemetery headstone and short bio for Josiah Meigs
• New Georgia Encylopedia entry for Josiah Meigs
• History of Meigs Hall on the UGA campus