Cornelius Conway Felton (November 6, 1807 – February 26, 1862) was an American educator. He was regent of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, as well as professor of Greek literature and

president of Harvard University The president of Harvard University is the chief academic administration, administrator of Harvard University and the ''Ex officio member, ex officio'' president of the President and Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard Corporation. Each is appoi ...

Early life

Felton was born in

West Newbury, Massachusetts West Newbury is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History Originally i ...

. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1827, having taught school in the winter vacations of his sophomore and junior years. During his undergraduate years, he was also a member of the

Hasty Pudding Hasty pudding is a pudding or porridge of grains cooked in milk or water. In the United States, it often refers specifically to a version made primarily with ground ("Indian") corn, and it is mentioned in the lyrics of "Yankee Doodle", a tradit ...

Career

After teaching in the Livingstone High School of

Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester metropol ...

, for two years, he became tutor at Harvard in 1829, university professor of Greek in 1832, and Eliot Professor of Greek Literature in 1834. In 1860 he succeeded James Walker as president of Harvard, which position he held until his death. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1854. Felton edited many classical texts. His annotations on

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

's text of the ''Iliad'' (1833) are especially valuable. ''Greece, Ancient and Modern'' (2 vols., 1867), forty-nine lectures before the

Lowell Institute The Lowell Institute is a United States educational foundation located in Boston, Massachusetts, providing both free public lectures, and also advanced lectures. It was endowed by a bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell Jr., who died in 1836. ...

, is scholarly, able and suggestive of the author's personality. Among his miscellaneous publications are the American edition of

Sir William Smith Sir William Smith (20 May 1813 – 7 October 1893) was an English lexicographer. He became known for his advances in the teaching of Greek and Latin in schools. Early life Smith was born in Enfield in 1813 to Nonconformist parents. He attended ...

's ''History of Greece'' (1855); translations of

Menzel Menzel may refer to: __TOC__ People Menzel is a surname of German language , German origin. It can also be a transliteration of the Yiddish surname " מענטזעל "- a variant of the German surname. * Adolph Menzel (1815–1905), German artist * C ...

's ''German Literature'' (1840), of Munk's ''Metres of the Greeks and Romans'' (1844), and of Guyot's ''Earth and Man'' (1849); and ''Familiar Letters from Europe'' (1865).

Personal life

Felton was the brother of

Samuel Morse Felton, Sr. Samuel Morse Felton Sr. (1809–1889) was a civil engineer and railroad executive. Early life Samuel Morse Felton was born on July 17, 1809, in West Newbury, Massachusetts. At the age of 14, he went into the grocery business and prepared fo ...

, the half-brother of

John B. Felton John Brooks Felton (June 9, 1827 – May 2, 1877) was an American jurist and politician who served as the 14th Mayor of Oakland, California. Early life John Brooks Felton was born on June 9, 1827, in Saugus, Massachusetts. Felton was the son ...

and the uncle of

Samuel Morse Felton, Jr. Samuel Morse Felton Jr. (February 3, 1853 – March 11, 1930) was an American railroad executive. Early life Samuel Morse Felton Jr. was born on February 3, 1853, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Felton was the son of Samuel Morse Felton Sr. ...

Death

He died of "disease of the heart" while en route to a Smithsonian meeting in Washington. He died at the home of his brother in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

Legacy

A historical marker in the town of West Newbury marks Felton's birthplace.

References

Publications

* ''Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society'' (Boston, 1866)

External links

*
Biography, part of a series of Harvard's Unitarian Presidents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felton, Cornelius Conway 1807 births 1862 deaths Presidents of Harvard University People from Saugus, Massachusetts People from West Newbury, Massachusetts Harvard University faculty Members of the American Antiquarian Society Hasty Pudding alumni