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| The Charter of Dartmouth College |
On this day in 1769, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire was
established under a royal charter issued by King George III of Great Britain
and Ireland, and with the leadership of three ministers: Eleazar Wheelock (a
Congregationalist), Samson Occum (an early Native American Presbyterian
clergyman), and Nathaniel Whittaker (also Presbyterian).
The
charter created Dartmouth for the purpose of “education & instruction of
Youth of the Indian Tribes in this Land in reading, writing & all parts of
Learning which shall appear necessary and expedient for civilizing & Christianizing
Children of Pagans as well as in all liberal Arts and Sciences; and also of English
Youth and any others.”
It also provided for a trust to be established in Britain to raise funds for the new college, and the founding ministers crossed the Atlantic to promote Dartmouth amongst potential donors in Britain. Among the original benefactors and trustee’s were British statesmen in high office, including William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, who was George III’s Secretary of State for the Colonies in North America, and the man for whom the college is named.
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| George III |
It also provided for a trust to be established in Britain to raise funds for the new college, and the founding ministers crossed the Atlantic to promote Dartmouth amongst potential donors in Britain. Among the original benefactors and trustee’s were British statesmen in high office, including William Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, who was George III’s Secretary of State for the Colonies in North America, and the man for whom the college is named.
Dartmouth was the ninth and last colonial college, and is the last royally-chartered institute of higher education in America.
Today, Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire,
and is an Ivy League institution. It is considered to be among the most prestigious
universities in the United States with an endowment of $3.7 billion. Included
among its alumni are Nelson Rockefeller (41st Vice President of the
United States), 164 current and former members of the US Congress, Theodor Geisel (Dr.
Suess), Fred Rogers (from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood),
Robert Frost, Shonda Rimes (creator of the Scandal
television series), and Jeffery Immelt (CEO of General Electric).
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| Dartmouth Hall |
Depsite its charter’s call for the education of
Native Americans, only 19 American Indian’s graduated from Dartmouth in its
first 200 years. Recently, the college has renewed its commitment to invest in
the education of Native American’s by establishing relevant academic and social
programs. Since 1970, this commitment has resulted in the graduation of over
700 Native American’s representing over 200 tribes from Dartmouth, which is
more than the other seven Ivy League institutions combined.
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