University of New Hampshire - Granite Yearbook (Durham, NH)

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i 1 X . - v f GIQANITXEX fl 'r in r X ' l l l A t ...... lg ll i i rl l lf 1 ll ll : lasting from the fourth of September to the last Thursday of November, the second Y lasting from the eighth day of January until April twenty-second. The simple I 1 requisites were that candidates should be at least sixteen years of age, must present l X testimonials of good moral character, and pass satisfactory examinations in Arith- ll x metic Cincluding the metric system of weights and measuresj, English Grammar, xl A Geography, and the following year History was added. There were three classes: Junior, Nliddle, Senior. All students pursued the same studies the first' year. Upon graduation the Degree of Bachelor of Philosophy was conferred. X Asa Dodge Smith, D.D., LL.D., as President of Dartmouth College. was the first President of New Q . gf Hampshire College. He was born in Amherst, N. H., on l September twenty-first. 1807. He graduated from X fl Dartmouth in 1830. Dr. Smith was President and a K trustee of Dartmouth College from 1863 to 1877. X 1 In 1876 Charles Holmes Pettee, now Dean of the it Faculty, was appointed Professor of Mathematics. He X X graduated from Dartmouth in 1874 as salutatorian of l his class. Besides teaching, he was appointed Dean of X X the Faculty in 1888, which position he still retains. . ll n,.,,5,,,,,i,, 'rp,.,,,,,,,.,,, Along with Dean Pettee came Clarence W. Scott, ll also of the class of '74, as an instructor in mathematics. He was given the Professor- ! ship of the English Language in 1878, and in 1894! his title was changed to Pro- ll I fessor of History and Political Science. He is the senior member of our faculty gf in age and second only to Dean Pettee in length of service. l X 'l l l I , . c . D , :f-Q bg EC bc X -Qc 54 bc X PC DCCI - 28

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J1927Y f ,..s. f THF GRANITE Ha.. XZ- X, 1 Q 7- -J I' 4 - , ' t r r-'Q f , I I iiaisturp nt Tlkinihersitp nf Hem ilaampsbire '- i 1 I if ll FIRST PICTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY 0 comprehend the founding of our university, one must return to the Federal Land Grant Act passed by Congress on July Q, 186Q, which was an Act donating public lands to the several states and territories which may pro- vide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts. The State Legislature availed itself of this opportunity by a legislative act of 1866, establishing the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Nlechanic Arts, on the basis of the Congressional Land Grant, and authorizing its location at Hanover and connection with Dartmouth College. In the Dartmouth College catalogue of 1868-1869 appears the following statement: In accordance with this Act, the insti- tution has been organized under a board of Trustees appointed partly by the Governor and Council, and partly by the Corporation of Dartmouth Collegeg the author- ized connection with Dartmouth College effected, and at the beginning of the Tl l ly 1 Il 7. l ll l 5, rl l l X X X Pl present Collegiate year the Institution was opened to students. The year 1868 I marked the inauguration of the institution, which was to become. fifty-five years ' after, the University of New Hampshire. 7x During the first year, a facility of eight members instructed a student body consisting of ten young men. The college year was divided into two terms, the first l l pcT5cfp-Q pc, 5-qt BC bcfrf,-1 b-Q vc pq scifi , '27

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fxjl927 K fi--mf S m ':.11:'.: ,z'Y V r Y ' N' ff QL lc nl je l. if PL if li ll 'K ii 7. C K K li at In 1877, the Hon. George W. Nesmith of Franklin, for whom Nesmith Hall was named, became President of the Board of Trustees and the Rev. Samuel Col- cord Bartlett, D.D., became a trustee and President of Dartmouth College and New Hampshire College, which position he retained until 1892. The Rev. Mr. Bartlett was born the twenty-fifth day of November, 1817, in Salisbury, N. H. He received his degree from Dartmouth in 1836. In 1882, a step forward was taken in the matter of admission. All candidates who presented a properly certi- fied diploma from an approved high school or academy were to be admitted without taking the entrance examination. The following year the college course was extended to four years, the first year to consist of two terms, the last three years, of three full terms. . Hon. Lyman Dewey Stevens of Concord, N. H., was elected President of thc Board of Trustees in 1890. During the college year of 1892-93, he was President of New Hampshire College. He was a native of Piermont, N. H., and a graduate of Dartmouth, class of 34-3. Here the curtain falls on the first act of the drama of the history of the Uni- versity of New Hampshire. The scene of action changes from Hanover to Durham. The story of the growth of New Hampshire College since its installation at Durham involves the story of the life of Benjamin Thompson, an enterprising farmer of Durham throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century. Were it not for the public-spiritedness of Benjamin Thompson and his truly Christian ideal of service to humanity, there would be no University of' New Hampshire at Durham today! He thought to perpetuate interest in agriculture in New Hampshire by establish- ing an institution of learning for that purpose, but Death called him before he could witness the culmination of his dreams. He departed from this world on the thirtieth of January, 1890. just three years before New Hampshire College was transferred from Hanover to Durham. At the session of the Legislature of New Hampshire in 1891, acts were passed severing connections with Dartmouth College and removing the State College from Hanover to Durhamg accepting the Benjamin Thompson estate, which was then of the value of about SIi400,000, and accumulating at MZ, compound interest which would be available as an endowment in 1910, and providing ?B100,000 to be used with certain other sums in the erection of buildings. The Legislature, in 1893, passed an act appropriating 335,000 for completing and furnishing the buildings. Shortly before the state accepted this gift of Benjamin Thompson's, the Legislature further provided for the college by accepting the provisions of an act of Congress known as the Morrill Bill, passed i11 1887. This legislation made available federal appropriations for instruction in agriculture, the mechanic arts, the English language, and the various branches of mathematical, physical, natural and economic science, with special reference to their applications in the industries of life, and to the facilities for such instruetionf' Dr. Scott 2-gi42c3c'2iDC1Q-35-C'DCDCb4DQDCJCbCIj ' 29