Photo: Wm. B. Ingersall, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons¹²

Henry Durant

American politician

Henry Durant (June 18, 1802 in Acton, Massachusetts – January 22, 1875 in Oakland, California) was an American minister and educator. He was the founding president of the University of California.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Durant (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jun 18, 1802, died Jan 22, 1875.¹

About

Durant also served as Mayor of Oakland.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Durant, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.²

Companies

Wellesley CollegeFounder¹¹

Early life and education

Date not recordedYale Divinity School³
Date not recordedUniversity of California, Berkeley³
Date not recordedPhillips Academy³
Date not recordedYale College³

Career

Occupation: theologian, politician, university teacher.⁷

Date not recordedWorked at University of California, Berkeley⁴
Date not recordedFounded Wellesley College⁵
Date not recordedMayor of Oakland⁶

After serving in the ministry for 16 years, he resigned his pastorate and became headmaster of the Dummer Academy (today known as The Governor's Academy) in Byfield. He held that position from 1849 to 1852.

In 1853, Durant came to California and founded the Contra Costa Academy, as a private school for boys. In 1855, the school was chartered as the College of California.

The college later disincorporated and merged with the state of California's Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College to create the University of California in 1868. Durant was elected the first president of the University of California on August 16, 1870, and resigned only two years later in order to relinquish the position to a younger man (Daniel Coit Gilman). In 1873, the University of California moved to its new Berkeley campus.

Old age did not keep Durant from being elected the 16th mayor of Oakland, although he only served for three years before dying in office, on January 22, 1875.

From Wikipedia’s article on Henry Durant (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Personal life

BornJun 18, 1802, Acton⁸
DiedJan 22, 1875, Oakland⁹
CitizenshipUnited States¹⁰

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataHenry Durant on Wikidata
2
WikipediaHenry Durant on Wikipedia
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WikidataHenry Durant: education, on Wikidata
4
WikidataHenry Durant: Worked at University of California, Berkeley, on Wikidata
5
WikidataHenry Durant: Founded Wellesley College, on Wikidata
6
WikidataHenry Durant: Mayor of Oakland, on Wikidata
7
WikidataHenry Durant: occupation, on Wikidata
8
WikidataHenry Durant: place of birth, on Wikidata
9
WikidataHenry Durant: place of death, on Wikidata
10
WikidataHenry Durant: citizenship, on Wikidata
11
WikidataWellesley College, Founder
12
Wikimedia CommonsHenry Durant photo by Wm. B. Ingersall, Public domain