Charles William Eliot

Charles William Eliot
Eliot, c. 1904
21st President of Harvard University
In office
1869–1909
Preceded byThomas Hill
Succeeded byA. Lawrence Lowell
Personal details
Born(1834-03-20)March 20, 1834
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 22, 1926(1926-08-22) (aged 92)
Spouses
Ellen Derby Peabody
(m. 1858⁠–⁠1869)
Grace Mellen Hopkinson
(m. 1877⁠–⁠1924)
Children
Parent
RelativesEliot family
Alma materHarvard College
ProfessionProfessor, university president
Signature

Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909, the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family of Boston, he transformed Harvard from a respected provincial college into America's preeminent research university. Theodore Roosevelt called him "the only man in the world I envy."