Benjamin Moore (October 5, 1748 – February 27, 1816) was the second Episcopal bishop of New York and the fifth President of Columbia University. He is remembered for having given Holy Communion to Alexander Hamilton on his deathbed, and for being the father of Clement Clarke Moore, the reputed author of the Christmas poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas." Early life Moore was born in Newtown, New York, now known as Elmhurst, Queens, in 1748, the son of Samuel Moore and Sarah (née Fish) Moore. He was the great-great-grandson of John Moore, the first Independent minister allowed in New England, and great-grandson of Capt. Samuel Moore, on whose property the Newtown Pippin apple was first cultivated. He attended King's College (now Columbia University), graduating in 1768 with a degree of A.B. Moore received a master's degree from King's College in 1771, alongside Founding Father Gouverneur Morris. He traveled to England and was ordained deacon in the Anglican Church by Bishop Richard Terrick in Fulham Palace on June 24, 1774. He was advanced to the priesthood the next day. Career Not long after returning to America, in 1775, Moore was made assistant rector at Trinity Church, New York City's original Anglican church, located then as now on Broadway at the western end of Wall Street. He was also named president pro tempore of Kings College and served until the arrival of the Continental Army in the city in April 1776 caused the college to close and disperse. Trinity rector Charles Inglis was an outspoken Tory who welcomed the subsequent British occupation of New York. Moore continued to work at his side but stayed publicly neutral on the political questions surrounding the American Revolutionary War. After the British defeat Inglis left for England, and Moore was elected Trinity's rector in 1783. Returning Patriot church members, among them Declaration of Independence co-author Robert R. Livingston and soon-to-be New York Mayor James Duane, objected to the choice, and in early 1784 Moore agreed to step aside in favor of Samuel Provoost, the only Anglican priest in New York who had openly supported the Revolution. The Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) became independent of the Anglican Church after the war, establishing its own organization of dioceses, and Provoost was elected the first bishop of New York in 1786, a position he held concurrently with the Trinity rectorship. Moore continued in his