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UAI 15.880

Kirkland, John Thornton, 1770-1840. Papers of John Thornton Kirkland : an inventory

Harvard University Archives

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©President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2005

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Harvard University Archives
Call No.: UAI 15.880
Creator: Kirkland, John Thornton, 1770-1840.
Title: Papers of John Thornton Kirkland, 1788-1842, 2000.
Quantity: 2 cubic feet (6 document boxes, 1 flat file box)
Abstract: John T. Kirkland (1770-1840) was President of Harvard University from November 14, 1810 to April 2, 1828.
Note: This document last updated 2005 April 9.

Acquisition Information :

The Papers of John T. Kirkland were acquired by the Harvard University Archives through donation and purchase. Whenever possible the archivist noted the terms of acquisition in the folder list below. The acquisitions are as follows:
  • Bella C. Landauer, 1939
  • Frances W. Ramsey, Jr., 1962
  • Houghton Library, 1949
  • Houghton Library, 1962
  • Philip Spaulding, 1937
  • T. Roland [Bernes], 1965
  • Thomas F. Cadwalader, 1957
  • Mrs. William C. Morris, 1952
  • Accession number: 12864; 1994 May 5
  • Accession number: 13251; 1995 December 11
  • Accession number: 14262; 2000 December 20

    • Processing Information:

    Most of this material was first classified and described in the Harvard University Archives shelflist prior to 1980. In September 2001, Barbara Meloni processed the materials gathered in accession number 14262 and Kate Bowers created an online finding aid. In 2005, Dominic P. Grandinetti re-processed these papers. Re-processing included the integration of outstanding accessions, the rearrangement and rehousing of the material in appropriate containers, the establishment of a folder list, and the modification of the 2001 finding aid.
    Published versions of the documents in this collection are noted in the folder lists.

    Conditions on Use and Access:

    Permission of the University Archives is required for access to the Papers of John T. Kirkland. Researchers are advised to use published versions of these papers, both because of the fragility of the originals and their nineteenth-century orthography, which may make them difficult to read for those who are unaccustomed to it. Please consult the reference staff for further details. Additional restrictions may apply.

    Related Material

    Search HOLLIS (Harvard's online library system) for works by and about John T. Kirkland.
    Citations to published versions of the documents in this collection are noted in the folder lists.

    Series and Subseries in the Collection

    Biographical Information

    Introduction
    John Thornton Kirkland (1770-1840) was the fifteenth President of Harvard University from November 14, 1810 to April 2, 1828.
    Early Life and Education
    John Thornton Kirkland was born to Samuel Kirkland and Jerusha (Bingham) Kirkland on August 17, 1770 in Herkimer, New York. His father was a Congregational minister and missionary to Indians who founded the town of Kirkland, New York, and established the Hamilton Oneida College (later known as Hamilton College).
    A child of the frontier, Kirkland came from a family of modest means. His mother moved the family to Stockbridge, Massachusetts during the American Revolution. In 1784, under the direction of Doctor Eliphalet Pearson, an eminent scholar and critic, Kirkland entered the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. In 1786, Kirkland entered Harvard University and became highly respected by his fellow students. After graduation (A.B. 1789), Kirkland returned to teach at Phillips Academy and study divinity. However, he found the Calvinist doctrine too restrictive and decided to return to Harvard University and join the Unitarian denomination. While studying divinity at Harvard, Kirkland served as a Tutor of logic and metaphysics from 1792-1794.
    Ministry
    Kirkland became one of the most popular preachers in New England. He was ordained as Pastor of the New South Church in Boston, Massachusetts in 1794, serving until 1810. Kirkland's ministry attracted a wide following, and he became recognized for his well-written and presented sermons, including a sermon he gave on the death of George Washington in 1799. His Washington sermon was re-read in many regions of the country and led to his being honored with the title of Doctor of Divinity by Princeton College in 1802. As an important church leader, Kirkland moved within the high social circles of his day, interacting with influential and public-spirited Bostonians.
    Harvard University
    John Kirkland's reputation in the pulpit helped elevate him to the presidency of Harvard University in 1810. During Kirkland's administration, known as the Augustan Age of Harvard, the school's intellectual influence was felt throughout the nation. Harvard University became national in scope, attracting students from all over the country, including the Southern and Middle states. Farm boys, young aristocrats and planter's sons mixed with country boys from the towns of New England and the youth of Boston. This lead to an increase in the worldliness and intellectual sophistication of the student body.
    Harvard University expanded rapidly under Kirkland's leadership. Fifteen new professorships were formed, and the Law School (1817) and the Divinity School (1819) were founded. New buildings were added to the school grounds. Holworthy Hall (1812), University Hall (1814), the Massachusetts Medical College (1816), and Divinity Hall (1825) were constructed. Moreover, other buildings were enlarged and renovated. The Library took over the entire second floor of Harvard Hall and extensive repairs were undertaken in Holden Chapel, Harvard Hall, Stoughton Hall, Hollis Hall, and Massachusetts Hall.
    Kirkland was instrumental in the establishment of new areas of instruction in chemistry, mineralogy, anatomy, physiology, and elocution. Furthermore, during Kirkland's administration, the lecture method of instruction was introduced into the classroom and the first student electives were offered.
    Finally, Kirkland took a leading role in the cleansing of Harvard Yard. In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Yard was cluttered with a brew house, wood yard, privies, roaming sheep, and a college pig pen. Under Kirkland's stewardship, this eye sore was replaced with elm trees, regular pathways, and a proper lawn.
    The End for President Kirkland
    Although considered a popular president with many accomplishments to his credit, Kirkland's last years as President ended with controversy. The early 1800s were a time of student disorder and general rebellion against authority. When student riots and fights broke out on campus in 1823 over who was to give the commencement address at graduation, Kirkland expelled half the senior class just before commencement. The public reaction against this campus disorder was the removal of the school's $10,000 annual state subsidy in 1824. This financial loss created a budget deficit, but more importantly, it exposed Kirkland's lack of management skills in administering the finances of the University.
    To further compound Kirkland's troubles, Nathaniel Bowditch, a Fellow of the Corporation, discovered that the University's accounts under Treasurer John Davis had been mismanaged. Rents on University property had not been paid, various debts to the University had not been collected, several thousand acres of land granted to the University by the General Court had been lost to squatters, and various deeds and bonds were missing. Bowditch's response to this fiscal mismanagement was to force a retrenchment at Harvard University, resulting in the undermining of Kirkland's authority. Over the next year, Kirkland's salary was reduced, his student secretary's job was eliminated, professors salaries were cut and teaching loads increased, non-resident teachers were fired, and the University sloop, the Harvard, was sold. Davis was forced to resign and the school's financial accounts were brought under strict control. Kirkland's laxity in managing the financial affairs of the University was ended.
    While Kirkland's management of the University's finances were under increasing scrutiny, he suffered a slight paralytic stroke in August 1827. Although Kirkland recovered sufficiently to continue his administration of the school, Bowditch became increasingly enraged by Kirkland's lack of support for his retrenchment policies. During a meeting of the Corporation in March 1828, Bowditch attacked Kirkland for his habit of ignoring the votes of the Corporation with which he did not agree, or taking steps to thwart them. No longer able to accept Bowditch's criticism and increasingly ill, Kirkland resigned after the meeting.
    Life after Harvard
    After leaving Harvard University, Kirkland and his new wife, Elizabeth, traveled extensively in the Southern United States, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Near East. Returning to Boston from his overseas trips in 1832, Kirkland's health began to deteriorate, and he spent the last years of his life living quietly. Although Kirkland's administration of Harvard University ended unpleasantly, he was remembered by his students as a gentleman and a scholar who helped raise the standards of scholarship at Harvard University at the beginning of a new century.
    John T. Kirkland died on April 24, 1840.
    References:

    Scope of the Papers of John T. Kirkland

    The Papers of John Thornton Kirkland touch upon his activities as a Unitarian minister and as President of Harvard University.
    These papers include letters, diaries, commonplace books, notebooks, minutes, sermons, and writings.

    Series and Subseries Descriptions


    hua22001