Theophilus Adam Wylie

Title

Theophilus Adam Wylie

Birth Date

8 October 1810

Death Date

16 June 1895

Occupation

Professor (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry); Librarian

Biographical Text

Theophilus Adam Wylie was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 8 October 1810 to Margaret Watson and Samuel Brown Wylie, a Presbyterian minister. Theophilus graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1830, studied theology at the Seminary of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and was licensed to preach in 1836. He later received honorary degrees from Miami University, Ohio; Monmouth College, Illinois; and Princeton College, New Jersey. Theophilus moved to Bloomington in 1837 and taught in various fields at Indiana University, including mathematics, natural philosophy (physics), and chemistry. He married Rebecca Dennis of Germantown, Pennsylvania, on 5 November 1838, and they lived in various rental properties in Bloomington—and in Oxford, Ohio, where Theophilus taught at Miami University from 1852 to 1855—until they bought the Wylie House from the Andrew Wylie family in 1859. Theophilus served as IU’s librarian for 38 years and was the first person to catalogue the university's library collection. He retired in 1886 and continued to pursue his many hobbies, which included photography and astronomy. Theophilus died on 16 June 1895 and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana. Learn more about Theophilus here.

Files

Theophilus Adam Wylie, 1810-1895 copy.jpg

Citation

“Theophilus Adam Wylie,” Wylie House Exhibits, accessed March 28, 2024, https://collections.libraries.indiana.edu/wyliehouse/items/show/440.

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