Langdon, Samuel, 1723-1797

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Congregational clergyman and president of Harvard.

From the description of Sermon on the character of a parent [manuscript], ca. 1790. (Boston Athenaeum). WorldCat record id: 642177271

Samuel Langdon (1723-1797) was the thirteenth President of Harvard College from October 14, 1774 to August 30, 1780. He presided over the college during the American Revolution.

From the description of Papers of Samuel Langdon 1745-1790, 1902. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 77072131

Samuel Langdon (1723-1797) was a Congregational clergyman from Boston, Mass. Upon graduating from Harvard College in 1740, he went on to serve in Portsmouth, N.H., and as chaplain for the New Hampshire regiment at Louisbourg. He was elected president of Harvard College in 1774, purportedly due to his strong Whig loyalties. He acted as president for six tense and restless years. He never gained the confidence of the students and resigned two days after being asked to do so by a committee of students. Langdon spent the remainder of his life serving as pastor at Hampton Falls, N.H. In 1788, he was a member of the New Hampshire Convention for ratifying the federal constitution.

From the description of Essay, 1790. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 207148965

Clergyman and college president.

From the description of Letter of Samuel Langdon, 1760. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 71014876

Samuel Langdon (1723-1797) was the thirteenth president of Harvard College, serving from 1774 to 1780 and presiding over the College during the American Revolution.

Langdon was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1723. The youngest of six children and of limited financial means, he worked his way through Harvard College as a waiter and as the recipient of several scholarships. He received his A.B. degree in 1740 and his A.M. degree in 1743.

Langdon began his career as a schoolmaster in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1741, accepting a teaching position in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, three years later. In 1745, he was named Chaplain of a New Hampshire regiment sent to Cape Breton Island to lay siege to the fortress of Louisbourg. Following his military service, Langdon married Elizabeth Whipple Brown in 1746 and was appointed Pastor of the First Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1747.

For the next twenty five years, Langdon established his reputation as a man of learning and piety, promoting religious tolerance and education. As the colonies’ dispute with England grew, Langdon worried that the Crown would establish Anglican control over the colonies, and he placed his support with the colonists.

Chosen primarily for his political sympathies, Langdon was installed as President of Harvard College in 1774. The unfortunate combination of a smallpox epidemic in Cambridge, economic inflation, a decline in revenues, and the distractions of impending war left the College in a state of disarray and undercut Langdon’s ability to effectively manage College affairs. Temporary evacuation of the College from 1775 to 1776 further hampered Langdon’s administration. Ultimately, it was Langdon’s attempts to impose a more religious character on College life that infuriated students and led to Langdon’s resignation in 1780.

Langdon returned to New Hampshire, where he served as pastor in Hampton Falls until his death in 1797.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. Three Centuries of Harvard, 1636-1936. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1936. Peterson, Mark A. Langdon, Samuel ; http://www.anb.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/articles/01/01-00492.html American National Biography Online February 2000. Quincy, Josiah. The History of Harvard University, Vol. II. Cambridge, Massachusetts: John Owen, 1840. Samuel Langdon. Dictionary of American Biography Base Set. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928-1936. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington, Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009: http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/servlet/BioRC Sanborn, Franklin B. Reverend Samuel Langdon. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Second Series, Vol. XVIII, 1903, 1904. Boston: The Society, 1905. 192-232. Sanborn, Franklin B.Two New Hampshire Libraries in Hampton Falls, 1785. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, October, 1909-June, 1910, Vol. XLIII. Boston: The Society, 1910. 33-45. Shipton, Clifford K.Biographical Sketches of Those Who Attended Harvard College in the Classes 1736-1740, Sibley's Harvard Graduate Series, Vol. X. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1958.

From the guide to the Papers of Samuel Langdon, 1745-1790, 1896., (Harvard University Archives)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn North Church (Portsmouth, N.H.). North Church archives, 1640-1985. Portsmouth Athenaeum Library & Museum
creatorOf Harvard College Library. Early Catalogs and Shelflists of the Harvard College Library, 1723-1822. Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Connecticut Historical Society. Collection of Connecticut and Massachusetts sermons, 1681-1823. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Langdon, Samuel, 1723-1797. Essay, 1790. American Antiquarian Society
referencedIn Success, N.H., collection, 1773-1780. Portsmouth Athenaeum Library & Museum
creatorOf Sons of Liberty. Sons of Liberty records, 1766-1770. Massachusetts Historical Society
creatorOf Langdon, Samuel, 1723-1797. Sermon on the character of a parent [manuscript], ca. 1790. Boston Athenaeum
referencedIn Dover Public Library (Dover, N.H.). Dover Public Library collection II, 1690-1913 (bulk 1803-1871). New Hampshire Historical Society Library
creatorOf Langdon, Samuel, 1723-1797. Papers of Samuel Langdon 1745-1790, 1902. Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Langdon, Samuel, 1723-1797. Letter of Samuel Langdon, 1760. Library of Congress
referencedIn Harvard University. Treasurer. Records of the Treasurer, John Hancock, 1754-1926 (inclusive). Harvard University Archives.
creatorOf Papers of Samuel Langdon, 1745-1790, 1896. Harvard University Archives.
referencedIn Harvard University. Treasurer. Records of the Treasurer, John Hancock, 1754-1926 (inclusive). Harvard University Archives.
referencedIn Brewster, Joseph. Diaries, 1756-1777. American Antiquarian Society
referencedIn Thomas, Isaiah, 1749-1831. Isaiah Thomas letter, [manuscript], 1790 October 20. Indiana University
referencedIn Sermons collection, 1640-1875. Gadsden Public Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Brewster, Joseph. person
associatedWith Connecticut Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith Harvard College (1636-1780) corporateBody
associatedWith Harvard College Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Harvard University. Treasurer. corporateBody
associatedWith North Church (Portsmouth, N.H.) corporateBody
associatedWith Sons of Liberty. corporateBody
correspondedWith Thomas, Isaiah, 1749-1831. person
associatedWith United States Continental Army corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
New Hampshire--Portsmouth
Massachusetts--Cambridge
Subject
Christian education of children
Congregational churches
Clergy
Parenting
Occupation
Clergy
College presidents
Activity

Person

Birth 1723-01-12

Death 1797-11-29

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