William S. Denison pledged $10,000 toward the Granville College, which was a Baptist school. Honoring an earlier commitment, the trustees accordingly changed the name of the institution to Denison University. They also voted to move the college to land then available for purchase in the village of Granville. Denison died in 1880. William S. Denison William S. Denison (17941880) was a Baptist farmer who was a major benefactor and namesake of Denison University in Ohio. William S. Denison was born in Colrain, Massachusetts on November 13, 1794 as the youngest of eight children. His family was originally from Stonington, Connecticut. Denison migrated to
William S. Holabird was later elected the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut for two consecutive terms, serving from May 4, 1842 to May 1, 1844, while Chauncey Fitch Cleveland was governor. Cleveland was succeeded as governor in 1844 by Roger S. Baldwin from the Whig party. Baldwin was known for his defence in the Amistad Case, where Holabird had been the government's attorney. William S. Holabird died at Winchester, Litchfield County, Connecticut, on May 20, 1855. A simplified version of the events regarding the Amistad case was made into a movie called "Amistad" in 1997 in which Pete Postlethwaite portrayed William S. Holabird. William