William Gurdon Saltonstall (November 11, 1905 – December 18, 1989) was an American educator and writer, and the ninth principal of

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

Early life

Saltonstall was born in

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

, Massachusetts to the wealthy Saltonstall family. He was a son of Robert Saltonstall and Caroline James ( Stevenson) Saltonstall. Among his siblings was Harriet Saltonstall Gratwick, a co-founder of the

Rochester Zen Center The Rochester Zen Center (RZC) is a Sōtō and Rinzai school, Rinzai Zen Buddhist sangha in the Kapleau lineage, located in Rochester, New York and established in 1966 by Philip Kapleau. It is one of the oldest Zen centers in the United States. ...

. His paternal grandparents were

William Gurdon Saltonstall William Gurdon Saltonstall (December 22, 1831 – July 21, 1889) was an American naval officer during the U.S. Civil War and a prominent merchant. Early life Saltonstall was born on December 22, 1831, in Salem, Massachusetts, into the prominent S ...

and Josephine Rose ( Lee) Saltonstall (youngest daughter of

John Clarke Lee John Clarke Lee (April 9, 1804 – November 19, 1877) was an American lawyer, merchant, banker and politician who co-founded the prominent stock brokerage firm of Lee, Higginson & Co. Early life Lee was born on April 9, 1804 at Tremont Place in ...

, founder of Lee, Higginson & Co.). His maternal grandparents were Caroline James ( Young) Stevenson and Brig. Gen. Robert Hooper Stevenson (brother of

Thomas G. Stevenson Thomas Greely Stevenson (February 3, 1836 – May 10, 1864) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was killed in action during the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. Biography Stevenson was born in Boston, Massachusetts ...

). He was educated at Exeter, where he was a member of the class of 1924. He then attended Harvard College, where he was president of the student body and field marshal of the graduating class, and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, where he earned master's and law degrees and was a member of the Owl Club.

Career

He served as the principal of Exeter from 1946 to 1963, where he had previously taught history. Under him, the

Lamont Gallery The Lamont Gallery is a non-profit art gallery located on the campus of Phillips Exeter Academy, in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States. It primarily showcases visiting exhibitions of local, national and international acclaimed artists, along wit ...

, the schools educational art museum was established. In 1963, Saltonstall was asked by President

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

to be the director of the Peace Corps in Nigeria. After two years, he left. He was a trustee of Colby College and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and a former member of the Harvard Board of Overseers and United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors. He was a trustee of Educational Testing Service, and a president of the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) is a United States' regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation. NEASC serves over 1500 public, independent schools, and technical/career institution ...

Personal life

On September 22, 1931, Saltonstall was married to Katharyn Saltonstall with whom he had three daughters and two sons: * Josephine Saltonstall, who married Courtland Butler Converse in 1953. She later married Hetzeck. * Katharyn Saltonstall, who married Dr. Roland Hok in 1961. * Deborah Saltonstall, who married Peter Pratt Twining in 1968. * William Gurdon Saltonstall. * Samuel Saltonstall. Saltonstall died on December 18, 1989 at a nursing home in Lakeville, Massachusetts.

Honors and legacy

He held honorary degrees from several schools, including Williams College, Tufts University,

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

, Dartmouth College, Colby College, Princeton University, and University of New Hampshire. The Saltonstall Boathouse in Phillips Exeter is named after him.

Published works

* ''John Phillips, 1719-1795: merchant, shipowner, landed proprietor, and founder of Phillips Exeter Academy''. (1951) * ''Lewis Perry of Exeter: A Gentle Memoir''. (1980) * ''Ports of Piscataqua: Soundings in the Maritime History of the Portsmouth, N.H., Customs District from the Days of Queen Elizabeth and the Planting of Strawberry Banke to the Times of Abraham Lincoln and the Waning of the American Clipper.'' (1941)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltonstall, William 1905 births 1989 deaths Harvard University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Peace Corps volunteers Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Phillips Exeter Academy faculty People from Milton, Massachusetts