Edmund Trowbridge '28, and Richard Cary '63, as executors of the will of John Alford, who had died in 1761, established in Harvard College, according to the desires of Alford, in 1789, the Alford Professorship of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity. Alford's will left $10,000 each to Harvard College; the "College of New Jersey", now Princeton; and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Indians.

The first incumbent of the Alford Professorship was Levi Frisbie '02. He was followed by Levi Hedge '92, James Walker '11, Francis Bowen '33, G. H. Palmer '64, Josiah Royce '11 and W. E. Horking '01.

The Erving Professorship of Chemistry and Material Medical was created by the bequest of 1000 pounds by Major William Erving '53 in 1791. Erving was a veteran of the British army, but avoided serving in the American Revolution because he was a native of Boston. After the war he lived in Jamaica Plain and turned his interests toward Harvard.

The Massachusetts Professorship of Natural History was founded in 1805 by a $30,000 gift jointly provided for Harvard by a number of friends of the college W. D. Peck '82 was chosen by the subscribers as the first Professor and he served under this foundation until 1822.

Dexter Interested in Theology

Samuel Dexter on his death in 1810, bequeathed to Harvard University $5,000 to promote "a critical knowledge of the Holy Scriptures." He had been a very well known citizen in this country. He took a leading part in the cause of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay as a member of the Provincial Assembly and later of the Provincial Congress. During the latter part of his long life he devoted himself almost entirely to the study of theology, concerning which subject he held firm and very definite opinions. His funds, the management of which he had inputted to the President and Fellows of Harvard College and five associates, to be elected by them, and of whom "three were to be clergymen, and two not of that order" were used to establish the Dexter Lectureship on Biblical Criticism. Professor J. H. Ropes '89 has held the Dexter Lectureship for the past 23 years.

Gifts Speed Theological School

The Theological School was not formally organized until some years later: funds were lacking for its efficient functioning although in 1813 Samuel Parkman of Boston, a wealthy and public spirited merchant conveyed to the Collage a township of land in Maine "for the support of a Professor in Theology." The benefits of this gift were great in prospect, but it was of he immediate help to the department.

In April, 1814, the Corporation was informed that a gentleman whose name was not to be mentioned had appropriated $20,000 to found in Harvard University a Professorship of Greek Language and Literature; and that the desire of the donor was not to be known or named as its founder Votes of thanks for this, the largest sum that had been bestowed upon the College by a benefactor during his lifetime, were immediately passed by the Corporation, together with an expression of "regret at not being allowed to know or publish the name of the donor," and a prayer "to Him with Whom is the issue of all human counsels and efforts, to bless this design to impart a benefit to successive generations."

Eliot Was Anonymous Donor

In the following year Rev. Edward Everett was elected professor on this foundation. Five years later, in 1820, after the death of Samuel Eliot '60 of Boston, it was announced that he had been the founder of this professorship. The Corporation then voted to call the foundation the "Eliot Professorship of Greek Literature," and further, that "they are apprized of Mr. Eliot's sincere reluctance at the idea of receiving a posthumous distinction of this nature, in consequence of his beneficence to the University; but that they are also satisfied that he would submit his private wishes in this particular to public considerations, and are convinced that this mode of perpetuating his enlarged and generous views is not merely a proper indication of gratitude to a distinguished benefactor but essentially conductive to all those interests of the University, which he had so much at heart; and therefore they feel authorized to adopt this measure."

The present holder of the Eliot Professorship is C. B. Gulick '90.

Royall Makes Bequest of Land

Under the will of Isaac Royall, who died in 1781, Harvard College received a bequest of more than 2,000 acres of land in the towns of Granby and Royalton, in Worcester County, Mass. The donor, who was born in Antigua, was the son of a merchant of great wealth, who, having purchased extensive estates in New England, had emigrated to Massachusetts in 1738. Isaac Royall settled in Charlestown, of which town he was a Representative for nine years. Later, he became a Counsellor, and held that office until 1774. However, says Josiah Quincy '28, "his judgment was not in unison with the patriotic spirit of the times. After the battle of Lexington he sailed for England, where he remained until his death." His former popularity saved his estates from confiscation under the "conspirators act," but the Government took possession of his property under the fact for confiscating the estates of certain persons called absentees," and an agent was appointed for its care and management. Royall complained bitterly of this interference, declaring that he fully intended to return to New England, and he was prevented from doing so only by ill health.

Continued to Contribute

In spite of his natural indignation, however, he continued a liberal contributor to Harvard during the final years of his life, and left to it the bequest above mentioned, "to be appropriated toward the endowing of a profesor of law, or a profesor of physic and anatomy, whichever the Corporation and Overseers of the College shall judge best for its benefit: and they shall have full power to sell said lands and put the money out to interest, the income whereof shall be for the aforesaid purpose." It was not until 1815 that the College authorities deemed it wise to establish the chair, which they named the Royall Professorship of Law. In 1816, Isaac Parker, '86, was chosen the first professor of that foundation. It is interesting to note also that the Royall Professorship was really the beginning of the present Law School, for, a year later, Professor Parker, then Chief Justice of Massachusetts, was the moving spirit in the establishment of the school at Cambridge, under the direction of the Hon. Asahel Stearns, '97, who was elected University Professor of Law.

The present incumbent of the Royall Professorship is J. H. Beale '82.