Harvard University

Description

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The university is composed of ten academic faculties plus the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Arts and Sciences offers study in a wide range of academic disciplines for undergraduates and for graduates, while the other faculties offer only graduate degrees, mostly professional. Harvard has three main campuses: the 209-acre (85 ha) Cambridge campus centered on Harvard Yard; an adjoining campus immediately across the Charles River in the Allston neighborhood of Boston; and the medical campus in Boston's Longwood Medical Area.

Founded, 1636

Factoids

1653-John Sassamon, a Massachusett Indian, became the first known Native American to study at Harvard (probably for a term or so). A disciple of Indian Bible translator John Eliot, Sassamon later became a scribe and interpreter to Wampanoag Chief Metacom (a.k.a. Metacomet, Pometacom, King Philip). In 1675, Sassamon was murdered as an English informant, touching off King Philip’s War, New England’s most devastating conflict between Natives and newcomers.

Related People & Organizations

Josiah Quincy,Quincy House, one of the university's twelve upperclass residential houses, is named for Josiah Quincy.

John Harvard

Historic Maps >

HISTORIC MAPS

4 Results,Show less

Phone App
Membership
Add Content
FAQ
Help
Contact Us

Newsletter Sign Up

37-24, 24th St, Suite 102, Long Island City, NY 11101