Guide to the Samuel Harris Administrative Records, 1867-1869

Samuel Harris (1814-1899), former professor of theology at Bangor Seminary, was elected fifth President of Bowdoin College at the suggestion of his predecessor President Leonard Woods. Harris, a graduate of the class of 1833, was the first alumnus to occupy the presidency. Said to have been uncomfortable with his roles as fund raiser and disciplinarian, he resigned in 1871 and went on to teach at Yale University.

This collection contains general correspondence concerning College affairs. Included are letters from the spring of 1867 between Nehemiah Cleaveland, Samuel Backus, and William Smyth concerning Memorial Hall. Most primary source material regarding the early administration of the College is found in the records of the Board of Trustees or in the Records of the Faculty which includes the records of the Executive Government.