Elihu Yale
| Elihu Yale | |
|---|---|
 |
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| President of Fort St George (Madras) | |
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In office 8 August 1684 – 26 January 1685 |
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| Preceded by | William Gyfford (Agent) |
| Succeeded by | William Gyfford |
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In office 25 July 1687 – 3 October 1692 |
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| Preceded by | William Gyfford |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Higginson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 April 1649 Boston, Colony of Massachusetts |
| Died | 8 July 1721 (aged 72) London, England |
| Signature |  |
Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was an American-born British merchant, philanthropist and slave trader, President of the East India Company settlement in Fort St. George, at Madras, and a benefactor of the Collegiate School in the Colony of Connecticut, which in 1718 was renamed Yale College in his honor.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, to David Yale (1613–1690) and Ursula, he was the grandson of Ann Lloyd (1591–1659), who after the death of her first husband, Thomas Yale (1587–1619) in Chester, Cheshire, England, married Governor Theophilus Eaton (1590–1658) of New Haven Colony.
Yale's ancestry can be traced back to the family estate at Plas yn Iâl near the village of Llandegla, Denbighshire, Wales. The name Yale is the English spelling of the Welsh place name Iâl.
The Yale family left Boston and returned to England when Elihu was three years old and he grew up going to school in London.
For 20 years Yale served the Honourable East India Company. In 1684 he became the first president of Fort St. George, the company's post at Madras (now Chennai), India. He succeeded a number of agents from Andrew Cogan to William Gyfford. Yale was instrumental in the development of the Government General Hospital, housed at Fort St. George.
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