Correspondence by John Gorham, Erving Professor of Chemistry
Overview
The correspondence in this collection documents a small part of the teaching and administrative activities of John Gorham, Erving Professor of Chemistry at Harvard from 1825 to 1826. The letters also allude to the financial difficulties the College experienced after 1824 when a grant of $10,000 that Harvard received annually from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was not renewed and led to a period of economizing; including a reduction of professors' salaries.
Dates
- Creation: 1825-1826 and undated.
Researcher Access
Correspondence by John Gorham, Erving Professor of Chemistry, is open for research. Access to fragile original documents may be restricted. Please consult the Public Services staff for further details.
Copying Restriction
Copying of fragile materials may be limited.
Extent
.17 cubic feet (1 half-document box)The correspondence in this collection documents a small part of the teaching and administrative activities of John Gorham, Erving Professor of Chemistry at Harvard from 1825 to 1826. The letters written by Gorham to Aaron Hill, Chairman of the Committee on Examination, and President John T. Kirkland note the number of students attending chemistry lectures at the Harvard Medical School, the number of lectures and courses given by Gorham, student academic performance, and the income and expenses of the chemistry department in 1826. The letters also allude to the financial difficulties the College experienced after 1824 when a grant of $10,000 that Harvard received annually from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was not renewed and led to a period of economizing; including a reduction of professors' salaries.
The records were assembled as an archival collection by the archivist at an unknown date from various sources without regard to original provenance in order to document University professorships.
Historical Note on John Gorham
John Gorham (1783-1829), a chemist and physician from Boston, Massachusetts, served as Adjunct Professor of Chemistry and Materia Medica from 1809 to 1816 and Erving Professor of Chemistry from 1816 to 1827 at Harvard University. Gorham helped establish the chemistry department at the Harvard Medical School. His treatise on chemistry, The Elements of Chemical Science (1819-1820), was one of the first systematic text books on chemistry adapted to the needs of college students in American higher education. Gorham resigned his professorship in 1827 after the Harvard Corporation voted to require the Erving Professor of Chemistry to reside in Cambridge.
Historical Note on the Erving Professorship of Chemistry
The chair of Chemistry was endowed as the Erving Professorship of Chemistry and Materia Medica in 1791, under the will of William Erving (A.B. 1753), and was known by this title until 1816. From 1816 to 1827, the professorship was the known as the Erving Professorship of Chemistry. From 1827 to 1894, it was entitled the Erving Professorship of Chemistry and Mineralogy. In 1894, "Mineralogy" was removed from the title and the professorship was renamed the Erving Professorship of Chemistry.
The previous holder of the Erving Professorship of Chemistry was Aaron Dexter (1791-1816).
Arrangement
The records are arranged chronologically by letter date.
Acquisition information
The materials in this collection are University records and were acquired in the course of University business.
References
- Bentinck-Smith, William and Elizabeth Stouffer. "Erving Professorship of Chemistry, 1791." In Harvard University, History of Named Chairs: Sketches of Donors and Donations. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Secretary to the University, 1991.
- Jackson, James. An Address delivered at the funeral of John Gorham, M.D. on the 31st Day of March 1829, by the appointment of The Boston Medical Association, and published at their request. Boston: Press of the Boston Daily Advertiser, 1829.
- Newell, Lyman C. "Gorham, John." Dictionary of American Biography. Ed. Dumas Malone. Vol. VII. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1943. 433.
General note
This document last updated 2018 December 6.
Processing Information
This material was first classified and described in a Harvard University Archives shelflist prior to 1980. The material was re-processed in 2011. Re-processing involved a collection survey, enhanced description of items from the nineteenth century, and the creation of this finding aid.
This finding aid was created by Dominic P. Grandinetti in June 2011.
- Title
- Gorham, John, 1783-1829. Correspondence by John Gorham, Erving Professor of Chemistry, 1825-1826 and undated: an inventory
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua32011
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
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