American cleric. A fiery preacher, moderate Calvinist theologian, and resolute abolitionist, he was the father of Catharine Esther Beecher (1800-1878), who promoted equal educational opportunities for women; Edward Beecher (1803-1895), a clergyman and educator noted for his abolitionist views and writings; and Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), a clergyman and newspaper editor famous for his abolitionist orations. Harriet Beecher Stowe was another of Lyman's children.