Samuel M. Janney

Samuel McPherson Janney (January 11, 1801 – April 30, 1880) was an American Quaker minister, educator, author, abolitionist, and cousin to philanthropist Johns Hopkins. Janney was an influential advocate for the abolition of slavery and worked to improve education for African Americans and Native Americans. Samuel McPherson Janney was born on January 11, 1801, in Loudoun County, Virginia, to Abijah Janney and Jane Janney, both members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). On November 12, 1823, at the age of 22, Janney married his cousin, Elizabeth Hopkins Janney, at Goose Creek Meeting House in Lincoln, Virginia.

Janney devoted his life to education and social reform. In 1839, he founded Springdale boarding school for girls in Loudoun County, emphasizing education and intellectual growth in the Quaker tradition. He also wrote several theological works and histories, including The Life of William Penn (1851) and History of the Religious Society of Friends from Its Rise to the Year 1828 (1860).

A prominent abolitionist, Janney condemned slavery in his writings, arguing that it was morally and socially unjust. In 1849, Janney wrote three anti-slavery essays in rebuttal to Methodist Reverend William A. Smith's pro-slavery speech that landed him in Loudoun County Court. Janney was free of all charges after spending several months in court. He supported gradual emancipation and efforts to improve the lives of freed African Americans. Janney also worked alongside Native Americans as Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1869-1871. He was appointed to this position by Ulysses S. Grant, where he promoted peaceful relations and education in Omaha, Nebraska.

Samuel M. Janney died on April 30, 1880, in Lincoln, Virginia, at the age of 79. He was buried in the Friends Burial Ground at Goose Creek Meeting House.