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 Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to the wealthy

Saltonstall family The Saltonstall family is a Boston Brahmin family from the U.S. state of Massachusetts, notable for having had a family member attend Harvard University from every generation since Nathaniel Saltonstall—later one of the more principled judges a ...

. 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 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. History Since ...

. His paternal grandparents were William Gurdon Saltonstall 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, Massachusett ...

). He was educated at Exeter, where he was a member of the class of 1924. He then attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, 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 w ...

, the schools educational art museum was established. In 1963, Saltonstall was asked by President Kennedy to be the director of the

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. After two years, he left. He was a trustee of

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

and

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth or UMassD) is a public research university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is the southernmost campus of the University of Massachusetts system. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts Un ...

, and a former member of the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harv ...

and

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Board of Visitors. He was a trustee of

Educational Testing Service Educational Testing Service (ETS), founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization. It is headquartered in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, but has a Princeton address. ETS develops var ...

, 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 Lakeville is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,523 at the 2020 census. History Native Americans inhabited southern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas ...

Honors and legacy

He held honorary degrees from several schools, including

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

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 Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, and

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

. 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