Benjamin Hall Kennedy

Benjamin Hall Kennedy (November 6, 1804 - April 6, 1889) was an English scholar and school teacher, known for his work in teaching the Latin language. He was an active supporter of Newnham College and Girton College, as Cambridge University colleges for women. He was born in Summer Hill, near Birmingham, the eldest son of Rann Kennedy (1772-1851), from a branch of the Ayrshire family who settled in Staffordshire. Rann was a scholar and man of letters, some of whose sons grew into a difference. Benjamin was educated at Shrewsbury School and St. John's College in Cambridge. He often participated in debates in the Cambridge Union and became president in 1825. In 1824, he was elected a member of the Cambridge Conversazione Society, better known as the Cambridge Apostles, and was awarded the Brown Medal. He was elected a member and lecturer in classics at St. John's College in 1828 and accepted the Holy Orders the following year. In 1830, he became assistant craftsman at Harrow.