John Harvard

Religious Leader

Birthday November 26, 1607

Birth Sign Sagittarius

Birthplace England

DEATH DATE Sep 13, 1638 (30)

#118,721 Most Popular

About

English minister who notably gave half of his estate and his personal library to the Massachusetts Bay Colony's New College who then turned it into Harvard college.

Before Fame

After the death of his father, his mother scrounged up enough from their property holdings to send him to college where he ended up becoming a dissenting minister.

Trivia

He donated not only money but a great many scholarly volumes to the then-fledgeling school.

Family Life

He had eight siblings.

Associated With

The USPS Great Americans postage stamp series featured Jack London on the 25¢ stamp and him on the 56¢ stamp.