John Winthrop House (commonly Winthrop House) is one of twelve undergraduate
residential Houses at
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 ...
. It is home to approximately 400 upperclass undergraduates.
Winthrop house consists of two buildings, Standish Hall and Gore Hall, originally freshman dormitories built in 1912. In 1931 they were joined as John Winthrop House, one of the seven original Harvard houses in which students reside from sophomore through senior years. Historically, Winthrop was also one of the first Harvard houses open to Catholic and Jewish students. Winthrop House maintains an affiliation with
Davenport College
Davenport College (colloquially referred to as D'port) is one of the fourteen residential colleges of Yale University. Its buildings were completed in 1933 mainly in the Georgian style but with a gothic façade along York Street. The college wa ...
at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
.
The house's name honors two notable men who shared the name "John Winthrop"—the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, as well as his descendant, an 18th-century astronomer who was both a Harvard professor and president of the university. The house shield is from the Winthrop family coat of arms: a lion with three chevrons in the background. In heraldric language, the blazon of the house shield is "Argent three chevrons Gules overall a lion rampant Sable."
The current faculty deans of Winthrop House are Stephen Chong and Kiran Gajwani, who were appointed to replace interim deans
Mark Gearan and Mary Herlihy-Gearan. Gearan and Herlihy-Gearan took over for a one-year term following the College's decision to let go of former deans
Ronald S. Sullivan Jr.
Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. (born December 12, 1966 in Gary, Indiana) is a law professor at Harvard Law School. Sullivan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Morehouse College in 1989 and received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1994. Prior t ...
and Stephanie Robinson in 2019.
The two John Winthrops
The first
John Winthrop
John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...
(1588-1649) was a member of the English gentry. In 1630, at the age of 41, Winthrop sold his home and sailed for New England, recording his visions that the New World could be a "city on a hill." He served as leader of the
Massachusetts Bay Company
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, then later became the first governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
, a position he held for over sixteen years.
His great-great-great-grandson
John Winthrop (1714-1779)
John Winthrop (December 19, 1714 – May 3, 1779) was an American mathematician, physicist and astronomer. He was the 2nd Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Harvard College.
Early life
John Winthrop was born in Bost ...
was the Hollis Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy from the age of 24 until his death at 65. Regarded as the first American astronomer, Winthrop also served briefly as the president of Harvard from 1773-1774.
Structure
Architecture
The two halls which would become Winthrop House were built in the same year and share many attributes. Both are four-story U-shaped buildings surrounding courtyards, with a gated open side facing the Charles River. Their facades are based on Sir
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
's late-17th-century garden wing of the
Hampton Court Palace.
The present Gore Hall maintains the memory of
Christopher Gore
Christopher Gore (September 21, 1758 – March 1, 1827) was a prominent Massachusetts lawyer, Federalist politician, and U.S. diplomat. Born into a family divided by the American Revolution, Gore sided with the victorious Patriots, establis ...
, who had bequeathed funds for construction (1841) of a prior
Gore Hall, which was demolished about the time the present Gore Hall was built.
It contains the Winthrop House dining hall in a below-street-level space at its center. In the corresponding spot, Standish Hall contains the Winthrop House Library, which holds the largest private collection of
John Singleton Copley portraits. When Standish was still a stand-alone dormitory for freshmen, what is now the library was then its dining hall.
Gates
Two gates at opposite ends of the Yellowwood Courtyard, both built in 1914, connect Gore and Standish Halls. The front entrance, facing Mill Street, is the Winthrop Gate. The house shield is welded in the front.
On the river side stands the
Fly Club
The Fly Club is a final club, traditionally "punching" (inviting to stand for election) male undergraduates of Harvard College during their sophomore or junior year. Undergraduate and graduate members participate in club activities.
Founded 1836 ...
Gate, an
English Baroque
English Baroque is a term used to refer to modes of English architecture that paralleled Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London (1666) and roughly 1720, when the flamboyant and dramatic qualities of Baroque ...
structure named after one of Harvard's male-only
final club
Harvard College has several types of social clubs. These are split between gender-inclusive clubs recognized by the college, and unrecognized single-gender clubs which are subject to College sanctions. The Hasty Pudding Club holds claim as the old ...
s whose members provided a grant to build it. The panther symbol of the Fly Club is centered within the ironwork above the entry, and inscribed is the dedication: "For Friendships Made in College the Fly Club in Gratitude has Built this Gate."
Traditional social events
Stein Club
Stein Club is a themed event featuring beer and snacks for Winthrop Residents every other Thursday evening. It is usually held in Winthrop's Junior Common Room. Winthrop House sells beer steins annually with the house crest on them to be used at the stein clubs, though having one is not required to partake. Recent Stein Club themes include "Kung Fu," "Comedy Night," "Oktoberfest," "Regatta," and others. Stein Club is one of the most well attended events held in the house. Although many believe that
Edward Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
began Winthrop's Stein Club tradition, this is not true. The origin of this apocryphal story is a humorous article that appeared in the ''Harvard Independent''.
Arbella Ball
The Winthrop Arbella Ball is the house's annual spring formal dance. It is named after the Arbella, the ship upon which the first John Winthrop ventured to the new World. The ball typically features a live band playing under a beautiful tent before a temporary dance floor set up in the Gore Courtyard, and a reception in the Winthrop Junior Common Room.
Thropstock
Thropstock is Winthrop's annual spring carnival, held in late April or early May. Thropstock typically features blow-up rides and games in the courtyard, a picnic lunch, cotton candy, and live music by Harvard student bands. Recent performers include Plan B for the Type A's, So Long Princess, and others.
Alumni
Winthrop House's most famous former inhabitant was President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
. Harvard University maintains Kennedy's former senior year dorm room in Gore Hall as a private room for guests of the university, especially political notables who visit
Harvard Kennedy School
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
. The room has been renovated and redecorated by the Institute of Politics in order to make it more accommodating to visiting guests. The study is furnished with a plaque commemorating the late President Kennedy, a leather couch, and a large rug, along with framed photographs of Kennedy. The Kennedy Suite's bedroom has two twin beds, as well as a shelf of books written by and about President Kennedy.
Other notable Winthrop alumni include United States Massachusetts Senators
Edward Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
(D) and
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was an American diplomat and Republican United States senator from Massachusetts in both Senate seats in non-consecutive terms of service and a United States ambassador. He was considere ...
(R; He lost his seat to the aforementioned JFK. He was actually a resident of Standish Hall, which is now part of Winthrop House);
Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...
chairman
Ben Bernanke
Ben Shalom Bernanke ( ; born December 13, 1953) is an American economist who served as the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. After leaving the Fed, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. Durin ...
; CEO of
Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
Lloyd Blankfein
Lloyd Craig Blankfein (born September 20, 1954) is an American investment banker who has served as senior chairman of Goldman Sachs since 2019, and chairman and chief executive from 2006 until the end of 2018. Previous to leading Goldman Sachs, ...
;
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
professor and national security expert
Amy Zegart;
Berkeley
Berkeley most often refers to:
*Berkeley, California, a city in the United States
**University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California
* George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher
Berkeley may also refer ...
professor and torture expert
John Yoo
John Choon Yoo (; born July 10, 1967) is a Korean-born American legal scholar and former government official who serves as the Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. Yoo became known for his legal opinions ...
;
Clinton administration Treasury Secretary
Robert Rubin
Robert Edward Rubin (born August 29, 1938) is an American retired banking executive, lawyer, and former government official. He served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Clinton administration. Before his government ...
; United States Representative
Barney Frank
Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...
(D); conservative African-American activist
Alan Keyes
Alan Lee Keyes (born August 7, 1950) is an American politician, political activist, author, and perennial candidate who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs from 1985 to 1987. A member of the Repub ...
; conservative anti-tax lobbyist
Grover Norquist
Grover Glenn Norquist (born October 19, 1956) is an American political activist and tax reduction advocate who is founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, an organization that opposes all tax increases. A Republican, he is the primar ...
;
Nixon administration
Richard Nixon's tenure as the 37th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 1974, in the face of almost certain impeachment because of the Watergate Scanda ...
cabinet official and
Watergate figure
Elliot Richardson
Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and public servant who was a member of the cabinet of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. As U.S. Attorney General, he was a prominent figure in the Watergat ...
; Harvard Law School Professor
Charles Nesson; Minnesota Speaker of the House
Paul Thissen
Paul Thissen (born December 10, 1966) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He previously served as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and DFL Minority L ...
;
Beauty and the Geek
''Beauty and the Geek'' is an American reality television series that premiered on The WB on June 1, 2005. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and J.D. Roth. The show's ti ...
Season 3 winner
Alan "Scooter" Zackheim
''Beauty and the Geek'' is an American reality television series that premiered on The WB on June 1, 2005. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and J.D. Roth. The show's tit ...
; and Comedian and comedy writer
B. J. Novak . During his freshman year, the nuclear weapons pioneer
J. Robert Oppenheimer
J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is oft ...
lived in Standish Hall. Author
James von der Heydt served as Resident Dean of Winthrop House in 2006.
Gabe Newell
Gabe Logan Newell (born November 3, 1962), nicknamed Gaben, is an American businessman and the president of the video game company Valve.
Newell was born in Colorado and grew up in Davis, California. He attended Harvard University in the early ...
briefly lived in Winthrop House prior to leaving the university.
[Email from Gabe Newell (gaben@valvesoftware.com)]
Notes
External links
Winthrop HousePhotographic views of Gore Hall, Standish Hall, and Winthrop House, 1913-1957: an inventory
{{Harvard , state=expanded
Harvard Houses
University and college dormitories in the United States
1931 establishments in Massachusetts