Harvard Presidents Throughout History

March 15, 2001 3 min read

Harvard Presidents Throughout History

1640-1845

Henry Dunster (1609-1659)
Term of office: 1640-1654.
Education: Magdalene College, Cambridge University, England (B.A. 1631; M.A. 1634).
Professional background: Clergyman, educator.
Immediate past position: Schoolmaster and church curate in Bury, England.
Benjamin Wadsworth (1670-1737)
Term of office: 1725-1737 (died in office on March 27).
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1690; A.M. 1693).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Charles Chauncy (1592-1672)
Term of office: 1654-1672 (died in office in February).
Education: Trinity College, Cambridge University (B.A. 1614; M.A. 1617; B.D. [Bachelor of Divinity] 1624).
Professional background: Greek lecturer at Trinity; vicar to several English churches.
Immediate past position: Minister in Scituate, Mass.
Edward Holyoke (1689-1769)
Term of office: 1737-1769 (died in office on June 1, not long before his 80th birthday, making him the oldest to serve as Harvard President).
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1705; A.M. 1708).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Immediate past position: Pastor to a church in Marblehead, Mass.
Leonard Hoar (ca. 1630-1675)
Term of office: 1672-1675.
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1650; A.M. 1653); Cambridge University, England (M.D. 1671).
Professional background: Ecclesiastical posts in England, biblical scholarship.
Samuel Locke (1732-1778)
Term of office: 1770-1773.
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1755; A.M. 1758).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Immediate past position: Pastor in Sherborn, Mass.
Urian Oakes (ca. 1631-1681)
Terms of office: Acting President, 1675-1680; President, 1680-1681 (died in office on Aug. 4)
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1649; A.M. 1652).
Professional background: Ecclesiastical posts in England, grammar-school headmaster, orator.
Immediate past position: Minister in Cambridge, Mass.
Samuel Langdon (1723-1797)
Term of office: 1774-1780
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1740; A.M. 1743).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Immediate past position: Pastor in Portsmouth, N.H.
John Rogers (1630-1684)
Term of office: 1682-1684 (died in office on July 12) Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1649; A.M. 1652).
Professional background: Assisted (without ordination) his brother-in-law William Hubbard’s ministry and practiced medicine (without medical training) on parishioners in Ipswich, Mass.
Immediate past position: Presumably as above.
Joseph Willard (1738-1804)
Term of office: 1781-1804 (died in office on Sept. 25).
Education: Harvard College (A.B., 1765; A.M. 1768).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Immediate past positions: Pastor of the First Parish, Beverly, Mass.; first corresponding secretary (1780) of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Increase Mather (1639-1723)
Terms of office: Acting President, 1685-1686; Rector (a unique title), 1686-1692; President, 1692-1701.
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1656); Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (A.M. 1658).
Professional background: Pastor of North (Second) Church, Boston, Mass.
Immediate past position: As above (Mather continued his Boston pastorate during his 16-year Harvard executive term).
Samuel Webber (1759-1810)
Term of office: 1806-1810 (died in office on July 17).
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1784; A.M. 1787).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Immediate past position: Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy (Harvard).
John Leverett (1662-1724)
Term of office: 1708-1724 (died in office on May 14)
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1680; A.M. 1683).
Professional background: Lawyer, judge, legislator, provincial envoy.
Immediate past position: Provincial Councilor, Eastern Maine.
John Thornton Kirkland (1770-1840)
Term of office: 1810-1828.
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1789; A.M. 1792).
Professional background: Clergyman.
Immediate past position: (Probably) Pastor of New South Church, Boston, Mass.
Josiah Quincy (1772-1864)
Term of office: 1829-1845.
Education: Harvard College (A.B. 1790; A.M. 1793).
Professional background: Lawyer (with service in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate).
Immediate past position: Mayor of Boston.