Although Dr. Upton has been a resident of Weiser for little more than three years he has been so closely and prominently connected with the educational and moral interests of the town during that time that no history of the community would be complete without the record of his career. It is a widely acknowledged fact that the most important work to which man can direct his energies is that of teaching, whether it be from the pulpit, from the lecture platform or from the schoolroom. Its primary object is ever the same, the development of one’s latent powers that the duties of life may be bravely met and well performed. The intellectual and the moral nature are so closely allied that it is difficult to instruct one without in a measure influencing the other, and certainly the best results are accomplished when the work goes hand in hand. Christian instruction is having an influence over the world that few can estimate, for it is in youth that the life of the man is marked out, his future course decided and his choice as to the good or evil made.
It is to this work of thus instructing the young that Dr. Upton devotes his time, energies and thought, and as the president of the Weiser College and Academy his influence in this direction is most widely felt. He was born at Heath, Massachusetts, on the 7th of December, 1851, and is of English and Scotch lineage, his ancestors having located in New England at an early period in the colonial history of the country. His father, Benjamin Flint Upton, was also a native of the Old Bay state, and by trade was a wagon and carriage manufacturer. In his religious views he was a Congregationalist, and thus amid the refined influence of a Christian home Dr. Upton of this review was reared. He was educated in Oberlin College, at Oberlin, Ohio, and on the completion of the classical course was graduated in 1873. He then pursued a course in theology and was graduated in that department in 1876. For a time he was a member of the faculty of Oberlin College, holding the position of tutor of Latin.
On leaving that excellent institution he was ordained to the ministry of the Congregational church, after which he efficiently engaged in his chosen work as pastor of prominent churches in Ohio, Michigan and New York. In the last named state he was for some time secretary of the Congregational Home Missionary Society, but in 1888, on account of impaired health, he resigned his position and moved to Colorado. His residence in Weiser dates from 1895, at which time he accepted the presidency of the Weiser College and Academy. Under his wise direction the school has been making rapid advances and stands among the first educational institutions of the state. He is a careful and capable financier, giving the whole energy of a thoroughly trained mind to the work of placing the school on a stable financial and educational foundation. He is also justly regarded as a talented and eminent minister of the church, and the spiritual as well as the intellectual man is given every opportunity for growth.
In 1876 President Upton was united in marriage to Miss Lucy H. Metcalf, of Elyria, Ohio, daughter of E. W. Metcalf, of that state. She is a Christian lady of superior education and refinement, and is now teaching in Weiser College and Academy, her marked ability ably fitting her for the work. Both the Doctor and his wife enjoy the esteem of their students and a large circle of friends, and are valued additions to the social and church circles of the place, being- particularly active in the work of the Congregational church. They have one daughter, who is with them in their delightful home, which was erected by Dr. Upton and stands on an eminence overlooking the beautiful valley, forming a delightful scene. In his political views he is an independent Republican, but takes no active part in political work, his time being fully occupied by his school and church duties. At this point it would be almost tautological to enter into any series of statements concerning his high intellectuality, broad human sympathies and tolerance or to the effect that he is imbued with fine sensibilities and clearly defined principles, for all this has been indicated in the account of his work. Honor and integrity are synonymous with his name, and he enjoys the respect, confidence and high regard of the community.