.
So did anyone think that John Karls would relax during the time that we freed up for him with the 3/23/2018 failure to attain the minimum quorum for our 4/11/2018 meeting?
Here’s what John is doing with his “free time.”
[Jerry Cook was John’s roommate throughout law school and the “best man” at John’s wedding 6 months after graduation. Jerry returned to Detroit MI and spent his career as a senior partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohen, Detroit’s largest Jewish law firm, during the course of which he headed several of the nation's largest Jewish organizations. Following Glasnost, Jerry wrote a personal check to charter the first 747 into Moscow to ferry Jewish refugees to Israel.]
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
To: Jerry Cook
Cc: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Sent: Tue, 27 Mar 2018 11:27:11 -0700
Subject: U of Cambridge in New England -- Update
Attachment: HCNY-CorrespondenceWithClubCuratorReCambridgeUniversityInNewEngland
Dear Jerry,
I probably would have waited until there was something more substantial to report on the referenced subject, and then would have addressed the report to the Harvard Club Curator.
But while riding in my car this morning I heard Mozart’s Symphony No. 40!!!
Do you remember telling me in law school that you had taken a course in “musical appreciation” in undergrad, which required you, inter alia, to be able to identify on examinations all of the musical items on which the course had focused.
So you made up ditties to sing to each item.
And for Mozart’s 40th Symphony, the lyrics for your ditty were “Mozart’s in the closet, let him out, let him out, let him out”???
[Do you also remember how you “looked down your nose” after the course at your father, Oscar Cook, because he always increased the volume of classical recordings during soft passages and decreased the volume during loud ones???]
**********
So you may have noticed that my monthly public-policy study group failed to achieve a quorum for April 11.
For which the silver lining is time freed up to work on the U of Cambridge in New England project.
Which, as mentioned to the Harvard Club Curator, would feature investigating from the perspective of the U of Cambridge.
[She had recommended a book entitled “The Founding of Harvard College” by a Harvard History Prof.]
So over the weekend (following the April 11 meeting cancellation) I began investigating from the viewpoint of the U of Cambridge.
And may have hit pay dirt!!!
“History of the University of Cambridge: Texts and Studies 6 -- Reformation and Religious Liberty in Cambridge, 1590-1644” a description of which says --
“The character of the English Church at the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century has always been a contentious historical issue. Concentrating on Cambridge University - where the critical theological debates took place and where new generations were schooled in learning and prejudice - this book aims to shed new light on the question, making use of a wealth of previously underexploited material from the archives of the University and the Colleges, and paying attention to some significant and unjustly neglected figures. After setting the scene in the seventeenth-century city and university, the book goes on to provide a careful and detailed analysis of the debate about Anglicans and Puritans, Arminians and Calvinists; it offers a lively account of bitter academic and religious rivalries fought out in sermons, academic exercises and in print.”
My copy is not scheduled to arrive until tomorrow, the day before my copy of “The Founding of Harvard College” for which I had thought there was all the time in the world for delivery.
But the description makes it sound like the U/Cambridge book is the key to everything!!!
First, 1590-1644 spans the landing of the Puritans at Plymouth Rock 1620 and the founding of Harvard College 1636.
Second, it makes all the sense in the world that as the English Government was trying to stamp out the Roman Catholic Church and to stamp out all deviations from the Church of England (aka Anglican Church, aka Episcopal Church, aka The Roman Catholic Church prior to Henry VIII), many of the Puritans would flee to Massachusetts.
[Indeed, High School Civics taught that much!!!]
Third, the missing link provided by this book is that the epicenter of the Puritan rebellion was the University of Cambridge!!!
[So is it any wonder that, as reported by the Harvard Club Curator, John Harvard and most of the other founders of Harvard College were graduates of the U of Cambridge???]
Fourth, descriptions of the history of the U of Cambridge from its own website indicate that the U of Cambridge was (and still is) a VERY-LOOSE confederation of its constituent components, which not only comprised the “autonomous self-governing colleges” (all students are admitted by one of the colleges, each of which has its own faculty, etc., etc.) but also “hostels” which might, or might not, morph into “colleges.”
There are currently 31 “colleges.”
Per a Wikipedia article (Wikipedia articles are only the opinions of whomever and only as good as their footnotes) 16 of the 31 current colleges, founded 1284-1596, are known as “old colleges” and 15 founded 1800-1977 are known as “new” colleges. In addition to which there are nine “theological colleges” which are affiliated with the university through the “Cambridge Theological Federation” which was founded in 1972 (though most of the Federation’s component colleges had long been in existence at that point).
And yes, you and I would have been too old to have attended quite a few of the “new” colleges for our undergrad studies --
Churchill – 1960
Darwin – 1964
Lucy Cavendish – 1965
Wolfson – 1965
Clare Hall – 1966
Robinson - 1977
[And we would also have had to undergo sex-change operations to be admitted to Lucy Cavendish.]
Fifth, so is it any wonder that when the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts 1620, they would have founded their own “college” to train all of the Puritan (aka Congregational) ministers that were needed???
*****
Digressing momentarily, in this regard you might be interested that Hartford CT was founded in 1635, the year before Harvard College, and Stamford CT was “founded” either in 1635 or 1641!!!
I am aware of the reason for the discrepancy re Stamford because, in addition to serving as Eugene Lang’s volunteer national treasurer of the “I Have A Dream”® Foundation, my own IHAD-Stamford (one of 178 such projects in 51 American cities in the 1990’s) which provided tutoring and mentoring for 200 public-housing project children as they progressed from third grade through high school graduation with a guarantee of college tuition, featured an Advisory Board of Fairfield County clergy from whose congregations we had recruited the tutors and mentors.
And the discrepancy regarding whether Stamford was “founded” in 1635 or 1641 was quite amusing!!!
At least from my perspective!!!
In 1635, Hartford CT had been founded by a Puritan (aka Congregational) Church.
In 1641, four of the 7 families comprising the congregation of the Hartford church, TOGETHER WITH the minister AND the 1635 Royal Charter authorizing the founding of the church, MOVED TO Stamford CT!!!
So in 1985, the First Congregational (aka Puritan) Church of Stamford CT celebrated ITS 350th Anniversary!!!
And, in the lead up to ITS celebration, its Anniversary Committee wrote to the First Congregational (aka Puritan) Church of Hartford CT to ask them whether they could provide information about the first 6 years 1635-1641 OF THE STAMFORD CHURCH!!!
Needless to say, there was a seismic eruption in Hartford CT!!!
And there would have been extensive property damage in Stamford CT if it hadn’t been 100 miles away!!!
Which reminds me that both the Senior Minister of the First Congregational (aka Puritan) Church of Stamford and the Senior Minister of the First Episcopal Church (aka Anglican Church, aka Church of England) of Stamford were on my IHAD-Stamford Advisory Board.
And they often joked about how their congregants shot at each other (literally) during the Revolutionary War.
And joked about how their congregants had continued down through the then-present day to shoot at each other (at least figuratively).
*****
End of digression. [Sorry it was so long.]
And sixth, is it any wonder that the Puritans who arrived at Plymouth Rock 1620 and founded their first college in 1636 would, as graduates of the U of Cambridge which had been the epicenter of the Puritan Revolution, have taken whatever steps (however minor) to have it affiliate with the U of Cambridge???
As evidenced by references to “The University of Cambridge in New England” in a classic 1767 poem by Phyllis Wheatley (it would appear that the Harvard Club Curator must have used another source in reporting the poem was written in 1775).
And by the two prints entitled “The University of Cambridge in New England” that grace the walls of the Harvard Club and that show three buildings, one of which is “Harvard Hall.”
*****
Interim Conclusion
My theory that Harvard was a constituent college of the University of Cambridge from Harvard’s founding in 1636 at least through 1795, is holding up.
Though in general, historical documents necessary to support a theory are often missing.
And, at least in this case, are probably largely missing from the Harvard side because virtually all of Harvard’s library was destroyed when the original Harvard Hall burned to the ground 1/24/1764.
Enough for now.
Will report further after I have had a chance to read both the U/Cambridge book and the Harvard Prof book.
Which, now, can probably take place before April 11.
I hope all is well with you.
My best to Barbara.
Your friend,
John K.
And We Thought We Were Giving John Karls a Mini-Vacation
The Attachment to the Foregoing E-mail
.
NB: The Harvard Club of NYC Curator says Phyllis Wheatley’s poem was written in 1775, but Wikipedia says Phyllis Wheatley was born in in 1753 and wrote the poem at age 14, which would have meant it was written in 1767, not 1775.
Cc Jerry Cook & Bcc George Kunath beginning with my 3/21/2018 e-mail.
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Cc: Jerry Cook
Sent: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 13:40:10 -0700
Subject: RE: Further Thoughts About “The University of Cambridge in New England”
Dear Ms. Saunders,
No, I don’t have Morison’s “The Founding of Harvard College” since, as must be painfully obvious, I had only wondered for 3-4 decades about the “Cambridge University in New England” prints with no Good Samaritan to help me on the way with the 1775 and 1795 dates.
So I ordered Morison’s book from Amazon.com a few moments ago.
Though I probably won’t have any time to spend on this project for quite a while because I am inundated with skiing for the next 2 months or so, on top of facilitating for the last 12 years a monthly public-policy study group in the vicinity of my Utah ski house which is patterned (the group, not the ski house) after several HC/NYC monthly study groups in which I participated over the decades.
So, a Harvard History Professor who has won two Pulitzer Prizes!!! His book should be first rate!!!
Some further thoughts after sending last evening’s e-mail --
I’ve always been curious regarding the nature of the relationships (formal and/or informal) between Cambridge and its constituent colleges. Ditto Oxford.
Second, during the nearly two centuries on which we are focusing (1636-1816), Harvard was nothing more than a college. And was probably quite similar to all of the other constituent colleges of Cambridge U. including, only perhaps as you posit, with regard to whatever arrangements existed (or did not exist) between Cambridge and its constituent colleges.
Third, the nearly two centuries on which we are focusing (1636-1816) during which Harvard was solely a college, spans 140 years during which Massachusetts was a British colony, and another 39 years (ending with the War of 1812, which lasted until 1815) during which England thought it would be able to crush the American colonies.
Indeed, the previously-discussed abstract for the Harvard University Library’s collection entitled “Harvard University – Charters and legislative acts relating to the governance of Harvard, 1650-1814: an inventory” states in its entirety, during which it recognizes considerable turmoil --
“Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636; subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that established the Harvard Corporation and defined its authority as the College's primary governing board. For most of Harvard's history to the present, the College has operated under the Charter of 1650, but between 1672 and 1707 alternate Charters were recognized when the document became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General Court, and the British government grappling with conflicting conceptions of both Harvard and the colony's autonomy. This collection contains copies of the Charters of 1650, 1692, and 1697; the Resolve of 1707 (that reinstated the 1650 Charter); a 1723 draft of a proposed Charter, presumably penned by President John Leverett; and two pieces of Massachusetts legislation, an Act of 1810 that altered the composition of the Board of Overseers, and an Act of 1814 that reinstated the 1810 legislation after it was repealed in 1812. The documents include official ceremonial originals signed by the Governor and stamped with the Massachusetts seal, various handwritten and typed copies, and items used to display the Charter of 1650 during ceremonies. The documents reflect the evolution of Harvard's governance, the role of religion at the College, 17th century colonial politics, and the influence of the British government in colonial affairs.”
BTW, I hadn’t noticed until a moment ago that the title of the Harvard U Library’s collection indicates the last document is dated 1814, two years before the founding of Harvard Divinity School when Harvard COLLEGE presumably morphed into a UNIVERSITY.
So yes, I will consult Prof. Morison’s book for any discussion of the relationship, if any, between Harvard COLLEGE and Cambridge University -- though I don’t promise to read it “cover to cover” because my only interest in Harvard history is its relationship, if any, to Cambridge U.
And I will also try to approach the issue from the other end – whether there are any materials from the Cambridge U. perspective that might address the relationship, if any, with Harvard College 1636-1795 (preferably source documents, though it appears that any secondary sources will also have to be considered since you and I anticipate a paucity/absence of materials).
However, as mentioned above, I have no idea when there will be sufficient time to continue this project. But will provide progress reports for any interesting developments.
Incidentally, I can appreciate your skepticism. Though am mystified by your complete lack of any competing theory for why Phyllis Wheatley would refer to “The University of Cambridge in New England” in a 1775 poem and why you, as Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC, would permit its walls to display a 1795 print labelled “The University of Cambridge in New England” which you think is fraudulent.
It is respectfully suggested that if you don’t think that Harvard College was a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in 1795, then you should take the print down and put it into storage pending authentication.
[Just kidding, of course!!!]
Thank you very much for your time in responding to my e-mails.
Sincerely,
John Karls
----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
To: john@johnkarls.com
Sent: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 16:53:43 +0000
Subject: RE: Further Thoughts About “The University of Cambridge in New England”
This is all very interesting to me. But I don’t necessarily agree with your conclusions. I’ve never heard of a connection between the two universities other than the shared name “Cambridge.” Do you have Morison’s “The Founding of Harvard College?” I’l give it a closer look and see if I find any indication of this idea.
Thanks for your insights.
Mary Saunders
Curator
Harvard Club of New York City
35 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 212 -827-1200 ext. [redacted]
FAX: 212-827-1251
email: [redacted]
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2018 1:32 AM
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Cc: Jerry Cook
Subject: Further Thoughts About “The University of Cambridge in New England”
Dear Ms. Saunders,
A few spare moments became available, so they were spent considering further the information that you provided.
Starting with Harvard University’s own website (http://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/ha ... ce/history) which begins --
“Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution.”
And then stumbling (I don’t recall how) upon http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hua10011 which contains a description of the Harvard University Library’s “Charters and legislative acts relating to the governance of Harvard, 1650-1814: an inventory” complete with links to the digitalized version of an apparently-incomplete collection of original documents meeting that description.
That website begins with the following abstract --
“Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636; subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that established the Harvard Corporation and defined its authority as the College's primary governing board. For most of Harvard's history to the present, the College has operated under the Charter of 1650, but between 1672 and 1707 alternate Charters were recognized when the document became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General Court, and the British government grappling with conflicting conceptions of both Harvard and the colony's autonomy. This collection contains copies of the Charters of 1650, 1692, and 1697; the Resolve of 1707 (that reinstated the 1650 Charter); a 1723 draft of a proposed Charter, presumably penned by President John Leverett; and two pieces of Massachusetts legislation, an Act of 1810 that altered the composition of the Board of Overseers, and an Act of 1814 that reinstated the 1810 legislation after it was repealed in 1812. The documents include official ceremonial originals signed by the Governor and stamped with the Massachusetts seal, various handwritten and typed copies, and items used to display the Charter of 1650 during ceremonies. The documents reflect the evolution of Harvard's governance, the role of religion at the College, 17th century colonial politics, and the influence of the British government in colonial affairs.”
Since the Charter of 1650 is the earliest document in the collection and since the abstract says that “[F]or most of Harvard’s history TO THE PRESENT [emphasis added], the COLLEGE [emphasis added] has operated under the Charter of 1650…..” I examined its digital copy.
It clearly refers to preexisting “President and Fellows of Harvard College” which were continuing in existence.
So why do the 1775 Phyllis Wheatley poem and the 1795 print hanging on the Harvard Club’s wall refer to “Cambridge University in New England.”
It would seem that the obvious explanation is that at least until 1795, Harvard College was one of the University of Cambridge’s many colleges, most of which were in England.
And just like all of the other colleges comprising the University of Cambridge, Harvard College also had its own President and Fellows.
The change, presumably, came about with the establishment of additional schools so that they, together with Cambridge University’s Harvard College, became a University in its own right.
My only tie to Harvard is the law school, which was founded in 1817.
Though I guessed that since the raison d’être of the founding of Harvard College in 1636 was to educate ministers, Harvard Divinity School was probably the second oldest (behind Harvard College) of Harvard University’s 12 degree-granting components.
So I checked when Harvard Divinity School became a separate entity which, according to its website, was 1816.
So it would appear --
(1) From its founding in 1636 until at least 1795, Harvard College was one of the many colleges of Cambridge University, most of which were located in England.
(2) With the founding of Harvard Divinity School in 1816 and Harvard Law School in 1817, Harvard itself was morphing into a university in its own right.
(3) So sometime after 1795 and probably at least by 1816, a “university” in its own right came into being and it adopted the name “Harvard University.”
(4) And when “Harvard University” (as distinguished from “Harvard College”) came into being about the time Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Law School were founded, Harvard College ceased to be a component of Cambridge University.
It would be interesting to ascertain whether there were any formal documents governing the relationship of Harvard College to Cambridge University.
And, if so, whether there were any formal documents between Harvard College and Cambridge University at the time Harvard University came into existence.
So that’s as far as I can go.
But I believe that you can rely on the 4 numbered conclusions as having a 99% probability of being correct.
In case you are wondering whether you can rely on my analysis, and wondering why I spent so much time thinking about this topic, my ex-wife of 33 years (Andrea Karls) was the co-author of the nation’s best-selling high-school world history textbook (McGraw-Hill with National Geographic illustrations) and my real job (vs. my “day job” as an attorney) during those 33 years was to read 12-15 thick biographies and historical tomes EVERY YEAR to uncover overlooked nuggets for possible inclusion in the next edition – it went through 6 editions during the 33 years.
BTW, my ex-wife is a graduate of Harvard Education School and worked in Harvard’s development office 1997-201?.
In case you are wondering about the Cc addressee (Jerry Cook), he is not a member of the Harvard Club of NYC but he was my roommate throughout law school and the ‘best man’ at my wedding 6 months after graduation who returned to Detroit MI and spent his career as a senior partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohen, Detroit’s largest Jewish law firm, during the course of which he headed several of the nation's largest Jewish organizations and, following Glasnost, wrote a personal check to charter the first 747 into Moscow to ferry Jewish refugees to Israel.
Thank you again for your information about 1775 and 1795 without which I would still be at “square one”!!!
Sincerely,
John Karls
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Cc: Jerry Cook
Sent: Wed, 21 Mar 2018 12:39:17 -0700
Subject: RE: HCNY Art Collection
Dear Ms. Saunders,
Thank you very much for your prompt and very-informative response!!!
I was unaware of the alma maters of the founders or the poem by Phyllis Wheatley!!!
Or even the dates of the prints.
So I gather from the poem in 1775 and the print in 1795 that it would be proper to infer that Harvard University was known as "Cambridge University in New England" until at least 1795 and nobody seems to know when thereafter the name was changed to Harvard University.
Yes, I will continue to ask anyone who seems to be in a position to know.
But until I saw the notice of your event, I had long since exhausted possible sources who might know.
Thank you again for your e-mail. You have moved the ball far down the field even though you refuse to admit that you might have scored.
Sincerely,
John Karls
----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
To: john@johnkarls.com
Cc:
Sent: Wed, 21 Mar 2018 18:30:34 +0000
Subject: RE: HCNY Art Collection
Dear John Karls,
Thank you for writing with your query. I’m happy to hear that there’s an observant guest in the Club! I can’t find a definitive answer to your question, but I find a variety of names for what we now call Harvard in its early days. The first print depicting Harvard was made in 1722, titled “A Prospect of the Colledges in Cambridge in New England” The print you noticed dates 1795 titled “University of Cambridge in New England,” as you note. The college, started with a bequest from John Harvard, who was a graduate of Emmanuel College of University of Cambridge in England. Several of the founders of the college were also alumni of Cambridge, England. The town was originally called “New Town,” changed to Cambridge a few years after the founding of the college. The college buildings comprised a Harvard Hall, called the second Harvard College, the Old College, the Indian College, the Stoughton College, etc. You may know of the much quoted poem by Phyllis Wheatley from 1775 To the University of Cambridge, in New-England. By the early 19th century the name Harvard College or Harvard University seems to have stuck. I’m sorry I can’t answer your question in a more direct way. As the Club’s art collection is my specialty I have used those references to form a possible answer.
It’s a good question!
Let me know if anybody else can give a clearer explanation.
Thanks again for your interest in the Harvard Club art collection,
Sincerely,
Mary Saunders
Curator
Harvard Club of New York City
35 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 212 -827-1200 ext. [redacted]
FAX: 212-827-1251
email: [redacted]
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 9:52 PM
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Subject: HCNY Art Collection
Dear Ms. Saunders:
The HCNY Bulletin for April, just received by e-mail, says that you are the Club's curator and you will be conducting a tour of the club on April 15.
I have a question that nobody has been able to answer for the last 15-20 years and, unfortunately, I will not be in town on April 15 to ask you in person.
On one of the two guest-room floors on the opposite wall from the old elevators is a picture of the early campus and the caption is "University of Cambridge in New England."
My recollection is that there is also an identical picture and caption on one of the two guest-room floors near the new elevators.
My questions --
Was Harvard U originally known as the "University of Cambridge in New England"?
If so --
What was its relationship to the University of Cambridge in the U.K.?
What were the dates between which Harvard was known as the "University of Cambridge in New England"?
You might be interested to know that I not only inquired of HCNY personnel (though not recently), but also of Harvard University personnel in Cambridge MA (though also not recently) and nobody knew!!!
Thank you very much for whatever information you are able to provide.
Sincerely,
John Karls
NB: The Harvard Club of NYC Curator says Phyllis Wheatley’s poem was written in 1775, but Wikipedia says Phyllis Wheatley was born in in 1753 and wrote the poem at age 14, which would have meant it was written in 1767, not 1775.
Cc Jerry Cook & Bcc George Kunath beginning with my 3/21/2018 e-mail.
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Cc: Jerry Cook
Sent: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 13:40:10 -0700
Subject: RE: Further Thoughts About “The University of Cambridge in New England”
Dear Ms. Saunders,
No, I don’t have Morison’s “The Founding of Harvard College” since, as must be painfully obvious, I had only wondered for 3-4 decades about the “Cambridge University in New England” prints with no Good Samaritan to help me on the way with the 1775 and 1795 dates.
So I ordered Morison’s book from Amazon.com a few moments ago.
Though I probably won’t have any time to spend on this project for quite a while because I am inundated with skiing for the next 2 months or so, on top of facilitating for the last 12 years a monthly public-policy study group in the vicinity of my Utah ski house which is patterned (the group, not the ski house) after several HC/NYC monthly study groups in which I participated over the decades.
So, a Harvard History Professor who has won two Pulitzer Prizes!!! His book should be first rate!!!
Some further thoughts after sending last evening’s e-mail --
I’ve always been curious regarding the nature of the relationships (formal and/or informal) between Cambridge and its constituent colleges. Ditto Oxford.
Second, during the nearly two centuries on which we are focusing (1636-1816), Harvard was nothing more than a college. And was probably quite similar to all of the other constituent colleges of Cambridge U. including, only perhaps as you posit, with regard to whatever arrangements existed (or did not exist) between Cambridge and its constituent colleges.
Third, the nearly two centuries on which we are focusing (1636-1816) during which Harvard was solely a college, spans 140 years during which Massachusetts was a British colony, and another 39 years (ending with the War of 1812, which lasted until 1815) during which England thought it would be able to crush the American colonies.
Indeed, the previously-discussed abstract for the Harvard University Library’s collection entitled “Harvard University – Charters and legislative acts relating to the governance of Harvard, 1650-1814: an inventory” states in its entirety, during which it recognizes considerable turmoil --
“Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636; subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that established the Harvard Corporation and defined its authority as the College's primary governing board. For most of Harvard's history to the present, the College has operated under the Charter of 1650, but between 1672 and 1707 alternate Charters were recognized when the document became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General Court, and the British government grappling with conflicting conceptions of both Harvard and the colony's autonomy. This collection contains copies of the Charters of 1650, 1692, and 1697; the Resolve of 1707 (that reinstated the 1650 Charter); a 1723 draft of a proposed Charter, presumably penned by President John Leverett; and two pieces of Massachusetts legislation, an Act of 1810 that altered the composition of the Board of Overseers, and an Act of 1814 that reinstated the 1810 legislation after it was repealed in 1812. The documents include official ceremonial originals signed by the Governor and stamped with the Massachusetts seal, various handwritten and typed copies, and items used to display the Charter of 1650 during ceremonies. The documents reflect the evolution of Harvard's governance, the role of religion at the College, 17th century colonial politics, and the influence of the British government in colonial affairs.”
BTW, I hadn’t noticed until a moment ago that the title of the Harvard U Library’s collection indicates the last document is dated 1814, two years before the founding of Harvard Divinity School when Harvard COLLEGE presumably morphed into a UNIVERSITY.
So yes, I will consult Prof. Morison’s book for any discussion of the relationship, if any, between Harvard COLLEGE and Cambridge University -- though I don’t promise to read it “cover to cover” because my only interest in Harvard history is its relationship, if any, to Cambridge U.
And I will also try to approach the issue from the other end – whether there are any materials from the Cambridge U. perspective that might address the relationship, if any, with Harvard College 1636-1795 (preferably source documents, though it appears that any secondary sources will also have to be considered since you and I anticipate a paucity/absence of materials).
However, as mentioned above, I have no idea when there will be sufficient time to continue this project. But will provide progress reports for any interesting developments.
Incidentally, I can appreciate your skepticism. Though am mystified by your complete lack of any competing theory for why Phyllis Wheatley would refer to “The University of Cambridge in New England” in a 1775 poem and why you, as Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC, would permit its walls to display a 1795 print labelled “The University of Cambridge in New England” which you think is fraudulent.
It is respectfully suggested that if you don’t think that Harvard College was a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in 1795, then you should take the print down and put it into storage pending authentication.
[Just kidding, of course!!!]
Thank you very much for your time in responding to my e-mails.
Sincerely,
John Karls
----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
To: john@johnkarls.com
Sent: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 16:53:43 +0000
Subject: RE: Further Thoughts About “The University of Cambridge in New England”
This is all very interesting to me. But I don’t necessarily agree with your conclusions. I’ve never heard of a connection between the two universities other than the shared name “Cambridge.” Do you have Morison’s “The Founding of Harvard College?” I’l give it a closer look and see if I find any indication of this idea.
Thanks for your insights.
Mary Saunders
Curator
Harvard Club of New York City
35 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 212 -827-1200 ext. [redacted]
FAX: 212-827-1251
email: [redacted]
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2018 1:32 AM
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Cc: Jerry Cook
Subject: Further Thoughts About “The University of Cambridge in New England”
Dear Ms. Saunders,
A few spare moments became available, so they were spent considering further the information that you provided.
Starting with Harvard University’s own website (http://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/ha ... ce/history) which begins --
“Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution.”
And then stumbling (I don’t recall how) upon http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~hua10011 which contains a description of the Harvard University Library’s “Charters and legislative acts relating to the governance of Harvard, 1650-1814: an inventory” complete with links to the digitalized version of an apparently-incomplete collection of original documents meeting that description.
That website begins with the following abstract --
“Harvard College was founded by a vote of the Great and General Court of Massachusetts on October 28, 1636; subsequent legislative acts established the Board of Overseers, but it was the Charter of 1650 that established the Harvard Corporation and defined its authority as the College's primary governing board. For most of Harvard's history to the present, the College has operated under the Charter of 1650, but between 1672 and 1707 alternate Charters were recognized when the document became a contentious target for College officials, the Massachusetts Governor and General Court, and the British government grappling with conflicting conceptions of both Harvard and the colony's autonomy. This collection contains copies of the Charters of 1650, 1692, and 1697; the Resolve of 1707 (that reinstated the 1650 Charter); a 1723 draft of a proposed Charter, presumably penned by President John Leverett; and two pieces of Massachusetts legislation, an Act of 1810 that altered the composition of the Board of Overseers, and an Act of 1814 that reinstated the 1810 legislation after it was repealed in 1812. The documents include official ceremonial originals signed by the Governor and stamped with the Massachusetts seal, various handwritten and typed copies, and items used to display the Charter of 1650 during ceremonies. The documents reflect the evolution of Harvard's governance, the role of religion at the College, 17th century colonial politics, and the influence of the British government in colonial affairs.”
Since the Charter of 1650 is the earliest document in the collection and since the abstract says that “[F]or most of Harvard’s history TO THE PRESENT [emphasis added], the COLLEGE [emphasis added] has operated under the Charter of 1650…..” I examined its digital copy.
It clearly refers to preexisting “President and Fellows of Harvard College” which were continuing in existence.
So why do the 1775 Phyllis Wheatley poem and the 1795 print hanging on the Harvard Club’s wall refer to “Cambridge University in New England.”
It would seem that the obvious explanation is that at least until 1795, Harvard College was one of the University of Cambridge’s many colleges, most of which were in England.
And just like all of the other colleges comprising the University of Cambridge, Harvard College also had its own President and Fellows.
The change, presumably, came about with the establishment of additional schools so that they, together with Cambridge University’s Harvard College, became a University in its own right.
My only tie to Harvard is the law school, which was founded in 1817.
Though I guessed that since the raison d’être of the founding of Harvard College in 1636 was to educate ministers, Harvard Divinity School was probably the second oldest (behind Harvard College) of Harvard University’s 12 degree-granting components.
So I checked when Harvard Divinity School became a separate entity which, according to its website, was 1816.
So it would appear --
(1) From its founding in 1636 until at least 1795, Harvard College was one of the many colleges of Cambridge University, most of which were located in England.
(2) With the founding of Harvard Divinity School in 1816 and Harvard Law School in 1817, Harvard itself was morphing into a university in its own right.
(3) So sometime after 1795 and probably at least by 1816, a “university” in its own right came into being and it adopted the name “Harvard University.”
(4) And when “Harvard University” (as distinguished from “Harvard College”) came into being about the time Harvard Divinity School and Harvard Law School were founded, Harvard College ceased to be a component of Cambridge University.
It would be interesting to ascertain whether there were any formal documents governing the relationship of Harvard College to Cambridge University.
And, if so, whether there were any formal documents between Harvard College and Cambridge University at the time Harvard University came into existence.
So that’s as far as I can go.
But I believe that you can rely on the 4 numbered conclusions as having a 99% probability of being correct.
In case you are wondering whether you can rely on my analysis, and wondering why I spent so much time thinking about this topic, my ex-wife of 33 years (Andrea Karls) was the co-author of the nation’s best-selling high-school world history textbook (McGraw-Hill with National Geographic illustrations) and my real job (vs. my “day job” as an attorney) during those 33 years was to read 12-15 thick biographies and historical tomes EVERY YEAR to uncover overlooked nuggets for possible inclusion in the next edition – it went through 6 editions during the 33 years.
BTW, my ex-wife is a graduate of Harvard Education School and worked in Harvard’s development office 1997-201?.
In case you are wondering about the Cc addressee (Jerry Cook), he is not a member of the Harvard Club of NYC but he was my roommate throughout law school and the ‘best man’ at my wedding 6 months after graduation who returned to Detroit MI and spent his career as a senior partner at Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohen, Detroit’s largest Jewish law firm, during the course of which he headed several of the nation's largest Jewish organizations and, following Glasnost, wrote a personal check to charter the first 747 into Moscow to ferry Jewish refugees to Israel.
Thank you again for your information about 1775 and 1795 without which I would still be at “square one”!!!
Sincerely,
John Karls
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Cc: Jerry Cook
Sent: Wed, 21 Mar 2018 12:39:17 -0700
Subject: RE: HCNY Art Collection
Dear Ms. Saunders,
Thank you very much for your prompt and very-informative response!!!
I was unaware of the alma maters of the founders or the poem by Phyllis Wheatley!!!
Or even the dates of the prints.
So I gather from the poem in 1775 and the print in 1795 that it would be proper to infer that Harvard University was known as "Cambridge University in New England" until at least 1795 and nobody seems to know when thereafter the name was changed to Harvard University.
Yes, I will continue to ask anyone who seems to be in a position to know.
But until I saw the notice of your event, I had long since exhausted possible sources who might know.
Thank you again for your e-mail. You have moved the ball far down the field even though you refuse to admit that you might have scored.
Sincerely,
John Karls
----- Original Message -----
From: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
To: john@johnkarls.com
Cc:
Sent: Wed, 21 Mar 2018 18:30:34 +0000
Subject: RE: HCNY Art Collection
Dear John Karls,
Thank you for writing with your query. I’m happy to hear that there’s an observant guest in the Club! I can’t find a definitive answer to your question, but I find a variety of names for what we now call Harvard in its early days. The first print depicting Harvard was made in 1722, titled “A Prospect of the Colledges in Cambridge in New England” The print you noticed dates 1795 titled “University of Cambridge in New England,” as you note. The college, started with a bequest from John Harvard, who was a graduate of Emmanuel College of University of Cambridge in England. Several of the founders of the college were also alumni of Cambridge, England. The town was originally called “New Town,” changed to Cambridge a few years after the founding of the college. The college buildings comprised a Harvard Hall, called the second Harvard College, the Old College, the Indian College, the Stoughton College, etc. You may know of the much quoted poem by Phyllis Wheatley from 1775 To the University of Cambridge, in New-England. By the early 19th century the name Harvard College or Harvard University seems to have stuck. I’m sorry I can’t answer your question in a more direct way. As the Club’s art collection is my specialty I have used those references to form a possible answer.
It’s a good question!
Let me know if anybody else can give a clearer explanation.
Thanks again for your interest in the Harvard Club art collection,
Sincerely,
Mary Saunders
Curator
Harvard Club of New York City
35 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
Tel: 212 -827-1200 ext. [redacted]
FAX: 212-827-1251
email: [redacted]
----- Original Message -----
From: john@johnkarls.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 9:52 PM
To: Mary Saunders -- Curator of the Harvard Club of NYC
Subject: HCNY Art Collection
Dear Ms. Saunders:
The HCNY Bulletin for April, just received by e-mail, says that you are the Club's curator and you will be conducting a tour of the club on April 15.
I have a question that nobody has been able to answer for the last 15-20 years and, unfortunately, I will not be in town on April 15 to ask you in person.
On one of the two guest-room floors on the opposite wall from the old elevators is a picture of the early campus and the caption is "University of Cambridge in New England."
My recollection is that there is also an identical picture and caption on one of the two guest-room floors near the new elevators.
My questions --
Was Harvard U originally known as the "University of Cambridge in New England"?
If so --
What was its relationship to the University of Cambridge in the U.K.?
What were the dates between which Harvard was known as the "University of Cambridge in New England"?
You might be interested to know that I not only inquired of HCNY personnel (though not recently), but also of Harvard University personnel in Cambridge MA (though also not recently) and nobody knew!!!
Thank you very much for whatever information you are able to provide.
Sincerely,
John Karls
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