Sampson Reed
Sampson Reed (1800-1880) was an influential American figure known for his contributions to both business and religious thought. Born in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Reed was the youngest son of a Unitarian minister and showed academic promise from an early age, graduating with high honors from Harvard University in 1818. He entered divinity school but later left due to his growing interest in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, which conflicted with Unitarian beliefs. Reed's pursuit of Swedenborgian principles led him to become a key figure in the Boston Society of the New Jerusalem, which aimed to promote the study of Swedenborg's teachings.
In addition to his religious endeavors, Reed was a successful businessman who established one of New England's largest wholesale drug companies. He was also a prolific writer, contributing articles to the New Jerusalem Magazine and authoring works aimed at children to spread Swedenborgian beliefs. His literary reputation rests largely on two notable essays, "Oration on Genius" and "Observations on the Growth of the Mind," which significantly influenced poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Reed's ideas, particularly regarding the connection between the natural and spiritual realms, played a crucial role in shaping Romantic thought during his time.
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Sampson Reed
Writer
- Born: June 10, 1800
- Birthplace: West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
- Died: 1880
- Place of death: Boston, Massachusetts
Biography
Sampson Reed was born on June 10, 1800, in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the youngest of three sons born to John Reed, a Unitarian minister. Reed spent most of his early life on his father’s farm and received his early education at home. An excellent student, Reed took the entrance exam for Harvard University in 1814. He graduated from Harvard University with high honors in 1818 and entered divinity school at Cambridge, Massachusetts. While in divinity school, Reed’s roommate, Thomas Worcester, introduced him to the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, who believed that the second coming of Christ had already occurred in a symbolic sense and that God’s plan for mankind had been revealed to him.
In 1818, Worcester and several others formed the Boston Society of the New Jerusalem for the purpose of promoting study and prayer. Reed joined the society two years later. His interest in Swedenborg’s writing brought him into conflict with the beliefs of the Unitarian Church, and he decided to leave divinity school, unable to preach the doctrine of a church in which he no longer believed. In 1821, he received a master of arts degree and went to work as a clerk in an apothecary shop in Boston. Reed opened his own apothecary shop several years later, and he eventually built his shop into one of the largest wholesale drug businesses in New England.
Although Reed was a successful businessman, his greatest motivation was to establish a Swedenborgian church in the United States. He began to write articles for the New Jerusalem Magazine, a journal published by the Swedenborgian movement. Reed also began to publish a children’s magazine, The New Church Magazine for Children, to promote his beliefs in the church.
Although Reed published many essays and books, his literary reputation is based largely on two short works, “Oration on Genius” and Observations on the Growth of the Mind. However, these two works are not remembered for their content but for the influence they had on poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Reed’s “Oration on Genius”, which he delivered when he received his master’s degree in 1821, is one of the first indictments of Unitarian empiricism. His more optimistic views reflect the growing trend towards Romanticism that came to characterize his era. Emerson was particularly impressed with Reed’s ideas on the existence of a universal correspondence between the natural and spiritual worlds, and these ideas were to become core concepts in Emerson’s poetry.