Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck
Encyclopedia
In 1665, Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck became the first Native American
to graduate from Harvard University
.
Cheeshahteaumuck, of the Wampanoag tribe, came from Martha's Vineyard
and attended a preparatory school in Roxbury
. At Harvard, he lived and studied in the Indian College
, Harvard's first brick building, with a fellow member of the Wampanoags, Joel Iacoomes.
Cheeshahteaumuck died of tuberculosis
in Watertown
less than a year after graduation.
Apart from Cheeshahteaumuck and Iacoomes, at least two other Native American students attended the Indian College.
One of them, Eleazar, died before graduating and the other, John Wampus, left to become a mariner. As for Iacoomes,
he was lost in a shipwreck a few months prior to graduation while returning to Harvard from Martha's Vineyard.
It is therefore believed that Cheeshahteaumuck is the only native American to have graduated in the lifetime of the
Indian College
. These first students studied in an educational system that emphasized Greek, Latin, and religious instruction.
On December 16, 2010, a portrait of Caleb Chesshahteaumuck commissioned by the Harvard Foundation was unveiled in the University's famous Annenberg Hall. A part of the Harvard Foundation Portraiture Project diversity initiative, it was painted by alumnus Stephen Coit and involved careful historical research and consultation with Wampanoag tribal members. Rev. Peter J. Gomes
chaired the project and was present with Harvard President Drew Faust and members of the Harvard Native American Program to commemorate the day. In 2011, the novel Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks includes a version of Cheeshahteaumuck's time at Harvard.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
to graduate from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Cheeshahteaumuck, of the Wampanoag tribe, came from Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
and attended a preparatory school in Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
. At Harvard, he lived and studied in the Indian College
Indian College
Just a few years after its founding in 1636, Harvard University established the Indian College in the 1640s to educate Native Americans as well as English colonists. It did not attract a sufficient number of students for continued operation and funding from the Society for the Propagation of the...
, Harvard's first brick building, with a fellow member of the Wampanoags, Joel Iacoomes.
Cheeshahteaumuck died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
less than a year after graduation.
Apart from Cheeshahteaumuck and Iacoomes, at least two other Native American students attended the Indian College.
One of them, Eleazar, died before graduating and the other, John Wampus, left to become a mariner. As for Iacoomes,
he was lost in a shipwreck a few months prior to graduation while returning to Harvard from Martha's Vineyard.
It is therefore believed that Cheeshahteaumuck is the only native American to have graduated in the lifetime of the
Indian College
Indian College
Just a few years after its founding in 1636, Harvard University established the Indian College in the 1640s to educate Native Americans as well as English colonists. It did not attract a sufficient number of students for continued operation and funding from the Society for the Propagation of the...
. These first students studied in an educational system that emphasized Greek, Latin, and religious instruction.
On December 16, 2010, a portrait of Caleb Chesshahteaumuck commissioned by the Harvard Foundation was unveiled in the University's famous Annenberg Hall. A part of the Harvard Foundation Portraiture Project diversity initiative, it was painted by alumnus Stephen Coit and involved careful historical research and consultation with Wampanoag tribal members. Rev. Peter J. Gomes
Peter J. Gomes
Peter John Gomes was an American preacher and theologian,the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School and Pusey Minister at Harvard's Memorial Church—in the words of Harvard's president "one of the great preachers of our generation, and a living symbol of courage and...
chaired the project and was present with Harvard President Drew Faust and members of the Harvard Native American Program to commemorate the day. In 2011, the novel Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks includes a version of Cheeshahteaumuck's time at Harvard.