John Thornton Kirkland

John Thornton Kirkland (August 17, 1770 – April 26, 1840) was an American Congregational clergyman who served as President of Harvard University from 1810 to 1828. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Hasty Pudding. He is remembered chiefly for his major renovations to the university structure and the so-called "Augustan Age" that Harvard went through under his leadership. Kirkland House, one of Harvard's undergraduate "houses," or residence halls, was named in his honor. Biography John and his twin brother, George, were born at Herkimer, New York, August 17, 1770. Their parents were Rev. Dr. Samuel Kirkland and his wife, Jerusha Bingham Kirkland. She was a niece of Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, D. D. John Kirkland studied as a child at Andover and thereafter enrolled at Harvard College at the age of 15. He finished his degree there and noted in a brief autobiography that he had achieved excellence and received recognition from his professors there but also had "wasted much time, much money, some virtue, and some health." He was particularly noteworthy in his studies of Latin and metaphysical sciences. Kirkland's studies were briefly interrupted by a stint in the military during Shay's Rebellion in the winter of 1787, when he served under General Benjamin Lincoln. His patriotism was fervent and often discussed in both his speeches and later biographies on his life.