Erastus Otis Haven was born on November 1, 1820, in Boston, Massachusetts.

He was an American educator and clergyman. Upon graduating from Wesleyan University in 1842, he established a life-long pattern of combining the ministry with teaching. This eventually led him to assume the presidencies of the University of Michigan (1863) and Northwestern University (1869), as well as the chancellorship of Syracuse University (1874). Haven was deeply interested in educational issues affecting students at all levels and in helping to develop a strong Methodist presence among institutions of higher learning. He also served as the editor of Zion's Herald in Boston, and in 1872, he became Secretary of the Board of Education for the Methodist Episcopal Church. Haven served two terms in the Massachusetts Senate, and in 1880, he was elected a bishop, residing in San Francisco. He received an honorary degree of D.D. from Union College in 1854 and LL.D. from Ohio Wesleyan University. When he died, he left an unfinished autobiography, completed from his writings by the editor in 1883.

In 1847, he married Mary Frances Coles (1825–1912). He died on August 2, 1881, in Salem, Oregon.