Index
Scholarships
The B.T. Babbitt Scholarship
The B.T. Babbitt Scholarship, established in 1924 by the Lillia Babbitt Hyde Foundation in honor of Lillia Babbitt Hyde's father, is awarded to a student in the field of premedical education.
Benjamin “B.T.” Babbitt, born in Westmoreland, New York, on May 1, 1809, was a successful businessman and inventor who made a career in the soap-manufacturing industry. He attended public school and, from an early age, worked on the family farm. In his teen years, he worked at a machine shop where he met a professor who inspired him to study chemistry. At age 22, Babbitt opened his own machine shop in Little Falls, where he manufactured pumps and engines for the next 12 years.
After his business was destroyed by a flood in 1834, Babbitt moved to New York City where his soap-manufacturing career thrived. He began to manufacture and sell sodium bicarbonate, soap powder and several varieties of soap. Sales of these products soared. In 1851, Babbitt became the first to manufacture and market soap in individual bars. The strategically convenient and attractive packaging of his products made them very popular and appealing to the public. Babbitt quickly became known as a pioneer in the art of marketing. He was the first manufacturer to offer tours of his factories and one of the first to give away free samples.
Babbitt’s other inventions ranged from wind motors to gun barrels, ventilators, canal boats and artificial icemakers. He died in 1889 at the age of 80.
June 2014
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages are awarded as part of the College’s need-based financial aid packages. These funds help ensure the Hamilton Promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
Materials published here were diligently researched and written by students who strived for historical accuracy.
