Did you know that the first American university was right here in Massachusetts? Founded in 1636 in the settlement of New Towne (later renamed Cambridge), Harvard University (originally named Harvard College) is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in the United States. The university was named after John Harvard, its first benefactor, who donated half of his estate and his library of more than 400 books.
In 1642, the first Harvard commencement was held with nine graduates. The university later had many notable graduates and attendees including John Sassamon in 1653, the first known Native American to study at Harvard, and more presidents than any other university – John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theordore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John. F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
Harvard played a critical role in the American Revolution. The campus was turned over to the military to quarter Continental soldiers during the Revolution’s beginning, giving students an early summer break. Fall classes later resumed in Concord, Massachusetts and today, there are many interpretations of what the student’s stay in Concord was like. According to historian Charles A. Wagner, “one hundred students were spread through little Concord’s taverns, homes, meetinghouse and courthouse, to the unexpected joy of the Concord maidens.” Though other historical documents indicate that students were bored, supplies were scarce and rented rooms were freezing in the winter.
Harvard was given permission to reoccupy Harvard Yard on June 11, 1776. In addition, eight Harvard alumni signed the Declaration of Independence, including Samuel Adams, John Hancock and John Adams. Once the Massachusetts Constitution went into effect in 1780, Harvard was officially recognized as a university.
As Harvard began to gain traction as a well-known institution of education, it soon became a hub for medical instruction with the development of Harvard Medical School in 1782 and practicing law with the establishment of Harvard Law School in 1817. In the 1900s, Harvard University continued to make breakthrough progress with the development of the Harvard Business School in 1908 and the School of Public Health in 1913.
Now, nearly 400 years later, Harvard has 400,000+ alumni worldwide, including some of our native Massachusetts actors and television personalities like B.J. Novak, Matt Damon, and Conan O’Brien, and other well-known individuals such as actress Natalie Portman, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
