Dartmouth College. Office of the President. Francis Brown (1815-1820)
Dates
- Usage: 1815 - 1820
Biography
Francis Brown, was born January 11, 1784 in Chester New Hampshire. He went on to become a pastor in North Yarmouth, Maine, and President of Dartmouth College in 1815, when the Board of Trustees removed John Wheelock from Office. Disgruntled, Wheelock turned to the State of New Hampshire and in 1816, the legislature amended the 1769 charter granted to Eleazar Wheelock, making Dartmouth a public institution and changing its name to Dartmouth University. Under the leadership of President Brown, the Trustees mounted a legal challenge. When they lost their case in the New Hampshire Superior Court, they appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The case for the College, known as Trustees of Dartmouth College v. William H. Woodward, was argued by Daniel Webster before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818. Ultimately the Court sided with Webster and the College.
The four year legal battle left the College in difficult financial straights and took a toll on Brown's health. In 1819 an senior professor took on the role of acting President. Brown died on July 27, 1820 at the age of 35.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Dartmouth College Office of the President (1815-1820:Francis Brown) records
The records consist, almost exclusively, of correspondence documenting the administration of Francis Brown with an emphasis on the legal battle between the State of New Hampshire and Dartmouth College, Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 17 U.S. (4 Wheat.) 518 (1819).
Francis Brown letter
In English.