John Harvard (clergyman)
| John Harvard | |
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| Born |
26 November 1607 Southwark, Surrey, England |
| Died | 14 September 1638 (aged 30) Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Cause of death | Tuberculosis |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College (University of Cambridge) |
| Occupation | Pastor |
| Known for | A founder of Harvard College |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Sadler |
| Children | None |
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John Harvard (26 November 1607 – 14 September 1638) was an English minister in America, "a godly gentleman and a lover of learning", whose deathbed bequest to the "schoale or Colledge" recently undertaken by the Massachusetts Bay Colony was so gratefully received that it was consequently ordered "that the Colledge agreed upon formerly to bee built at Cambridg shalbee called Harvard Colledge." Despite a persistent myth to the contrary, John Harvard is properly considered one of the founders of Harvard College.
A statue in his honor is a prominent feature of Harvard Yard.
Harvard was born and raised in Southwark, Surrey, England, (now part of London), the fourth of nine children of Robert Harvard (1562–1625), a butcher and tavern owner, and his wife Katherine Rogers (1584–1635), a native of Stratford-upon-Avon whose father, Thomas Rogers (1540–1611), was an associate of Shakespeare's father (both served on the borough corporation's council). Harvard was baptised in the parish church of St Saviour's (now Southwark Cathedral) and attended St Saviour's Grammar School, where his father was a member of the governing body and a warden of the Parish Church.
In 1625, bubonic plague reduced the immediate family to only John, his brother Thomas, and their mother. Katherine was soon remarried—firstly in 1626 to John Elletson (1580–1626), who died within a few months, then (1627) to Richard Yearwood (1580–1632). She died in 1635, Thomas in 1637.
Left with some property, Harvard's mother was able to send him to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he earned his B.A. in 1632 and M.A. in 1635.
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