Bail, Hamilton Vaughan

Harvard College was established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was named for its first benefactor, John Harvard of Charlestown. Harvard was a young minister who, upon his death in 1638, left his library and half of his estate to the new institution. In its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model, but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy of the first colonists. Although many of its early graduates became ministers in Puritan congregations throughout New England, the College was never formally affiliated with a specific religious denomination. The 1708 election of John Leverett, the first president who was not also a clergyman, marked a turning of the College toward intellectual independence from Puritanism. As the College grew in the 18th and 19th centuries, the curriculum was broadened, particularly in the sciences, and the College produced or attracted a long list of famous scholars. The 19th century brought the development of several graduate schools, including the Law and Medical schools, and transformed the College into a world class research university.

Hamilton Vaughan Bail was a Harvard alumnus who avidly collected ephemera and rare printed works relating to the history of the college. He also wrote several articles about his undergraduate institution, and remained active in alumni organizations. The Hamilton Bail Harvard collection reflects Bail's passionate interest in Harvard as a uniquely American educational and social institution.

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