Charles William Eliot

Charles William Eliot
Eliot c. 1904
21st President of Harvard University
In office
1869–1909
Preceded byThomas Hill
Succeeded byA. Lawrence Lowell
Personal details
Born(1834-03-20)March 20, 1834
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 22, 1926(1926-08-22) (aged 92)
Northeast Harbor, Maine, U.S.
Spouse(s)Ellen Derby Peabody (1858–1869)
Grace Mellen Hopkinson (1877–1924)
RelationsEliot family
ChildrenCharles Eliot
Samuel A. Eliot II
ParentSamuel Atkins Eliot
Alma materHarvard College
ProfessionProfessor, university president
Signature

Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909, the longest term of any Harvard president.[1] A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transformed Harvard from a respected provincial college into America's preeminent research university. Theodore Roosevelt called him "the only man in the world I envy."[2]

  1. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Eliot, Charles William" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 274.
  2. ^ "Eliot, Charles W. (1834-1926)". Harvard Square Library Collection: Harvard Square Library. March 15, 2024.