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John Leverett | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President ofHarvard College | |
| In office 1708–1724 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel Willardacting |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Wadsworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1662-08-25)August 25, 1662 Boston, Lincolnshire, Kingdom of England |
| Died | May 3, 1724(1724-05-03) (aged 61) Boston,Massachusetts Bay Colony, British America |
| Alma mater | Harvard College |
John Leverett (August 25, 1662 – May 3, 1724) was an early Anglo-Americanlawyer, politician, educator, and President ofHarvard College.
Leverett was born on August 25, 1662, inBoston,Massachusetts Bay Colony, the son of Hudson Leverett, an attorney, and Sarah (Payton) Leverett, and grandson ofJohn Leverett who was later the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was educated atBoston Latin School andHarvard College, where he obtained aBachelor of Arts in 1680 and aMaster of Arts in 1683.[1]
For twelve years, Leverett was a resident fellow at Harvard. He was appointed in 1685 at the same time as William Brattle. Leverett and Brattle managedHarvard College while Harvard's PresidentIncrease Mather was inEngland for four years (1688–1692)
On November 25, 1697, Leverett married Margaret Rogers Berry, the daughter of former Harvard College presidentJohn Rogers. They had nine children, six of whom died in infancy. Margaret died on June 7, 1720. Leverett married secondly Sarah Crisp Harris. Sarah died on April 4, 1744.
John served in theProvince of Massachusetts Bay as a justice of the peace (1699), a judge in the Court of Admiralty (1705), a justice of theSuperior Court (1702–1708), judge of Probate Court forMiddlesex County inCambridge (1702–1708), legislator(1696–1702) and Speaker of theColonial Massachusetts House of Representatives (1700–1702), and provincial councillor for easternMaine (1706–1708).
Leverett acted as an Indian commissioner from Massachusetts duringQueen Anne's War (1701–1713). He was unable to persuade the Iroquois to enter the war on the side of the British at a conference in 1704. Leverett raised and commanded a company of volunteers (as a lieutenant in theMilitary Company of Massachusetts, which he joined in 1704) in thefailed assaults on FrenchPort Royal, Acadia in 1707.
Leverett served asPresident of Harvard from January 14, 1708, until his death in 1724. In 1709, Leverett served as an emissary fromMassachusetts GovernorJoseph Dudley toNew York GovernorJohn Lovelace in negotiations for the establishment of military cooperation between Massachusetts andNew York on the frontier and for an aborted invasion ofCanada.
In 1719, Leverett helped to form the Lincolnshire Company which attempted to develop land in theMuscongus Patent inMaine, then part of Massachusetts. Leverett had inherited a share of this patent from his grandfatherJohn Leverett. Nothing was accomplished and the grant was later taken over bySamuel Waldo, a Boston merchant.
He was elected aFellow of the Royal Society in 1714.[1]
Leverett died inBoston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on May 3, 1724, at age 61. He is interred in theOld Burying Ground,Cambridge, Massachusetts.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theMassachusetts Superior Court of Judicature 1702–1708 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Samuel Willard,acting | President of Harvard College 1708–1724 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
