Dunster, Henry, 1609-1659?

Henry Dunster (1609-1659?) was the first President of Harvard College from 1640 to 1654.

Henry Dunster was the first president of Harvard, serving from 1640 to 1654.

Dunster, the son of Henry Dunster and Isabel Kaye Dunster, was baptized on November 26, 1609 in Bury, Lancashire, England. He studied at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, receiving Bachelor of Arts (1630) and Master of Arts (1634) degrees. After graduation, he taught at the local free school, served as headmaster of the Bury Grammar School, and served as minister of Saint Mary’s Church in Bury.

In the summer of 1640, following the outbreak of the Civil War in England, Dunster emigrated to the English colonies in New England. Soon after his arrival, Dunster was appointed president of Harvard College on August 27, 1640.

When Dunster arrived at Harvard, the College was in dire financial straits and the students had left. As president, he oversaw reform of the academic program, including establishment of a requirement for four years’ residency, introduction of a code of conduct for students, oversight of construction of the College’s first building, funding from the General Court as well as from individual donors, and attracting students back to the College. Perhaps Dunster’s most important action was to secure the College’s papers of incorporation, approved by the General Court of Massachusetts as the Charter of 1650. The Charter established the President and Fellows of Harvard College (the Harvard Corporation) as one of Harvard’s two governing boards.

Dunster was forced to resign from the Harvard presidency in 1654, owing to a dispute with members of the General Court over the religious validity of infant baptism.

In 1641, Dunster married Elizabeth (Harris) Glover, widow of Joseph Glover.* When Elizabeth Glover Dunster died in 1643, she left her property, including land and a printing press, to Dunster, along with shared administrative responsibility for her estate and five children. Dunster continued to operate the printing business until 1654, when he sold the press to Harvard College.

In 1644, Dunster married Elizabeth Atkinson, with whom he had five children. Henry Dunster died on February 27, 1658/9**, and is buried in the churchyard of the First Church of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Elizabeth (Atkinson) Dunster died on September 12, 1690.

In documents and published sources, Joseph Glover is also referred to as Jose or Josse Glover. For consistency, his name has been standardized as Joseph Glover in this finding aid.

Some documents dated between January 1 and March 25 before 1752 have been cited with the double date convention, e.g., 1658/9 February 27. This convention was used in England and the North American colonies between 1582 and 1752. The first date refers to the year according to the Julian calendar, which began on March 25, while the second refers to the year according to the Gregorian calendar, which began on January 1.