Joseph Battell (1806–1874)

For other people named Joseph Battell, see Joseph Battell (disambiguation).

Joseph Battell
Sketch of Joseph Battell by J. N. Niemeyer
Born	(1806-04-17)April 17, 1806 Norfolk, Connecticut
Died	July 8, 1874(1874-07-08) (aged 68) Brooklyn, New York

Joseph Battell (April 17, 1806 – July 8, 1874) was a businessman and benefactor of Yale University.

Battell was born to Joseph Battell (1774–1841) and Sarah Robbins. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1824 before moving to New York City.^[1]

Battell's sister, Irene Battell, married Yale professor William Augustus Larned. Battell was an enthusiast of sacred music and established a fund at Yale for it in 1854.^[1] This gift was the first towards an eventual School of Music, officially founded in 1890.^[2] He later gave $30,000 to fund the construction of Battell Chapel, completed in 1876, and willed Yale an additional $50,000 to ensure its completion. Battell died in Brooklyn, New York on July 8, 1874.^[1]

References

1. Dexter, Frederick Bowditch (1892). A Catalogue, with Descriptive Notices, of the Portraits, Busts, Etc., Belonging to Yale University. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
2. Noss, Luther (1984). A History of the Yale School of Music, 1855-1970. Yale School of Music. p. 5.