Tag: Eleanor Smith

Written by Eleanor Smith, Class of 2026 Thomas Milton Gatch is one of the university’s most beloved presidents, serving two non-consecutive terms from 1860-1865 and 1870-1879. Gatch was born in Cincinnati on January 28, 1833. He went to college at Ohio Wesleyan University where he received his bachelor’s in 1855 and then his master’s. He… Read more

Written by Eleanor Smith, Class of 2026 Joseph Henry Wythe was a controversial yet multifaceted president in Willamette’s history, often seen walking down the streets of Salem with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. He was born in Manchester, England in 1822. His family moved to the United States when he was ten.1 He… Read more

Written by Eleanor Smith, Class of 2026 Nelson Rounds’ presidency was seen as “old fashioned, strict, severe” by the student body.1 While he was not as beloved as the previous presidents, he was exactly what Willamette was looking for after Wythe’s cigar smoking.  Rounds seemed to be the perfect fit for the university because of… Read more

Written by Eleanor Smith, Class of 2026 Rev. Francis S. Hoyt is the father of a university that began its existence struggling to exist in an isolated place. When he took over, the school did not yet resemble a university. It was Hoyt’s task to oversee this transition from the Oregon Institute to Willamette University… Read more