Ezra Lathrop “E.L.” Northrup

Founder

Ezra Lathrop Northrup was born March 28, 1818, in Sherburne, Chenango County, New York. He arrived in Ripon in November 1849. He was given a plot of land on the east side of the public square in Ripon if he would open a store there selling general merchandise. He had done so within six weeks and opened Jan. 1, 1850.

He was appointed the first postmaster in Ripon “under the Whig administration of President Taylor,” his obituary stated. He was twice elected the chairman of the board of supervisors and a member of the County Board in Ripon. He was actively involved in numerous initiatives built around developing the young community.

“… As one of the few villagers with ready cash, (he) became a major contributor to the new educational institution. He served as Lyceum treasurer and later became a college trustee,” it was recorded in “Ripon College a History.”

A distant relative, but not a direct-line descendant, is Douglas Northrop, professor of English from 1960 through 1999, and a former dean of faculty.

E.L. Northrup died April 3, 1884, at the age of 66.