Biography
David Olcott Shattuck (1800-1892) was a judge, educator, and Methodist minister. Born in Colchester,
Connecticut, he was the son of David Shattuck (1758-1840) and Dorothy Olcutt Shattuck (1767-1838).
In the early 1820s, Shattuck taught school in North Carolina and Connecticut. He then became a
Methodist Episcopal Church minister serving churches in the Virginia Conference (1824-1827),
Tennessee Conference (1832-1833), and Mississippi Conference (1836-1839). During this time, he
also worked as a lawyer in Brownsville, Tennessee (1829-1833) and Carrolton, Mississippi
(1833-1837). From 1837 to 1841, Shattuck served as judge of the 2nd Judicial District of Mississippi.
In 1841, he made an unsuccessful run for governor of Mississippi.
In 1842, Shattuck became a law professor at Centenary College (Brandon Springs, Miss.). He then
served as the college’s president from 1844 to 1848; this included the transition of moving and
renaming the institution Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, La.). After resigning as president,
he served on Centenary’s board of trustees from 1849 to 1850.
In 1849, Shattuck visited San Francisco, California, and subsequently moved with his family to the
nearby town of Sonoma. From 1854 to 1857, he served as a judge in the Superior Court of California.
Next, he returned to work as a lawyer. From 1862 to 1863, Shattuck served as presiding elder of the
Santa Rosa District of the Pacific Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1864, he
moved to Mexico to cultivate cotton, then returned to California in 1867. For the remainder of his life,
Shattuck managed his Sonoma farm and vineyard.
In 1824, Shattuck married Lydia Watrous (1791-1824). In 1827, he married Elizabeth Ann Sanders
(1803-1875); they had ten children.
Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:
Collection
Identifier: SC-Cent. Misc. Mss. 536
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of digital facsimile printouts of newspaper clippings about Centenary College while it existed in Brandon Springs, Mississippi. Also included is an inventory containing brief notes and citations for the clippings. The clippings include advertisements, announcements, articles, editorials, letters about the college, and descriptions of the campus property.
Various clippings from October 1841 to July 1843 document the challenges of incorporating the college and...
Dates:
1838 - 1845
Collection
Identifier: CCL-Trustees
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of records of the board of trustees of Centenary College (Brandon Springs,
Mississippi) and Centenary College of Louisiana (Jackson, Louisiana). It includes administrative
records (1843-1882), minutes (1841-1906), resolutions (1842-circa 1905), and correspondence and
reports (circa 1845-1904).The administrative records include bylaws (1843), acts of incorporation (1848-1882), property records
(1845-1871), and a construction contract for the Center/Centre...
Dates:
1841 - 1906
Collection
Identifier: CCL-Treasurer
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of financial records maintained by the treasurer of Centenary College of
Louisiana (Jackson, La.). It consists of the following – Series 1: Manuscript volumes (1846-1906),
Series 2: Bills, accounts, receipts (1841-1906).Series 1: Manuscript volumes (1846-1906) include account books, daybooks, and cashbooks. The
account books commonly list financial transactions grouped by person or subject. The daybooks and
cashbooks provide a daily list of income and...
Dates:
1841 - 1906
Collection
Identifier: SC-Cent. Misc. Mss. 48
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of letters addressed to David Olcott Shattuck, who served as president of Centenary
College of Louisiana (Jackson, La.) from 1844 to 1848. Correspondence from J. L. Riddell and
William Marbury Carpenter, both professors at the Medical College of Louisiana (New Orleans, La.),
recommend Norman K. Leslie as a science professor at Centenary. Letter from W. H. Potter and John
Caldwell Doremus relates to their employment operating Centenary College of Louisiana’s...
Dates:
1846
