President's Office Records. Edward Hitchcock

Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864) was named the third president of Amherst College on April 14, 1845 and served until his resignation in 1854. He was the professor of chemistry and natural history at Amherst College from 1825 to 1845. His knowledge of geology gained recognition from scholars across the globe. At the time of his appointment to the presidency, the college was in enormous debt. Incoming student numbers were not increasing, and some current students planned on leaving. Hitchcock convinced many to stay and graduate. Hitchcock was determined to accept the presidency with the plan of preventing any further increase of the debt. What followed was an era of growth for Amherst College. Hitchcock and his administration raised enough funding that “extinguished the debt, added an astronomical observatory, a library, and two cabinets of natural history to the public buildings, secured the permanent endowment of four professorships together with valuable books and immense scientific collections, and doubled the number of undergraduates”(A History of Amherst College, 110). July 11, 1854, Hitchcock resigned, after deciding his poor health inhibited his ability to handle the responsibilities as head of the college. After his resignation from the presidency, he returned as a professor of natural theology and geology for another ten years until his death in 1864.

Sources: Tyler, W.S. History of Amherst College during its First Half Century. 1821-1871. Springfield, Mass.: Clark W. Bryan and Company, 1873. Print.