America’s First College President

America’s First College President

He was a man of conviction, and it cost him his job.

THE LORD gave me an attentive ear and heart to understand preaching. . . . The Lord showed me my sins and reconciliation by Christ . . . and this word was more sweet to me than anything else in the world.” So reads the testimony of Henry Dunster, born in 1609 in Bury, England. After receiving bachelor and master degrees at Cambridge University, he was ordained as a minister in the Church of England. As he served in his church, Dunster became increasingly disheartened by the corruption in the church and by its persecution of Christians who didn’t conform to the Church of England. As a result, he fled to America in 1640.

Dunster’s scholarly reputation, especially his expertise in Oriental languages and Latin, had preceded him to America. On August 27, 1640, shortly after arriving in Boston, Dunster was unanimously elected as the first president of America’s first college, Harvard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The college had been struggling without a president for four years since its founding, but during the years of Dunster’s administration the college flourished. He established the rules of administration and admission, set degree requirements, strengthened the curriculum, erected buildings, attracted students, and taught full-time. He was a tireless fund-raiser for the school, and although he himself was poor, he gave one hundred acres of his own land to the college.

The Baptist movement was making slow progress throughout New England at the time, and those who were leading the movement endured persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dunster was troubled by this intolerance and began to investigate their arguments in support of believer’s baptism. The more he studied, the more convinced he became of the Baptists’ position. By 1653 he was so strongly opposed to infant baptism that he refused to have his fourth child baptized. This caused quite a stir within the Harvard community. Because of the controversy, he offered his resignation, but it was refused.

Dunster was such a beloved and respected figure within the Harvard community that if he had been willing to keep silent regarding his view of baptism, he would have been able to keep his position at Harvard indefinitely. But he was a man of conviction and became so thoroughly convinced of the truth of believer’s baptism that he preached a series of sermons against infant baptism. On one occasion he even disrupted a baptismal service in the church at Cambridge. For this latter incident he was indicted by the grand jury, found guilty of disturbing public worship, and was sentenced to receive a public admonition.

Under these circumstances Harvard was too embarrassed to have Dunster remain as president, and so on October 24, 1654, they accepted the resignation they had previously rejected. He had served Harvard as president for fourteen years.

Dunster spent the last five years of his life as pastor of the church at Scituate in the Plymouth Colony. The church’s previous pastor, Charles Chauncy, succeeded him as president of Harvard.

Dunster held no animosities from this experience. At his death he bequeathed legacies to several of the people at Harvard who had called for his resignation.

Reflection

Henry Dunster realized it was a great honor to be the first president of the first college in America. Yet when he was removed because of his convictions, he didn’t bear a grudge against his opponents. How prone are you to holding grudges? How do you feel about those who have wronged you? Can you graciously forgive them?

Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself.

Leviticus 19:18