INAUGURATION OF JARED SPARKS, LL.D., AS PRESIDENT OF HARVARD COLLEGE, Wednesday, June 20, 1849

First and only edition of the program for the Inauguration events. 4to, as issued, original folded folio sheet printed on four sides. 4pp. A well preserved copy, the paper is fresh and solid and clean, folded with some minor creasing or wear at the fold lines, a touch of creasing to the corners, otherwise very fine in its preservation.

Edizione: a rare and desirable bit of harvardiana. very few copies show as being in institutional collections, the records show no copies at harvard. this is the full program for events of the ceremony. it includes the order of procession from gore hall, order of exercises in the church such as the hymn, various addresses, prayers, doxolo, benediction, etc.<br> sparks was president of harvard from 1849 to 1853. previously he was one of the american intellectuals who received alexis de tocqueville during his 1831?32 visit to the united states. sparks' extensive conversations and subsequent correspondence informed tocqueville's best-known work, democracy in america.<br> in 1842, sparks delivered twelve lectures on american history before the lowell institute in boston. in 1839-1849, he was mclean professor of ancient and modern history at harvard. his appointment to this position, says his biographer, was the first academic encouragement of american history, and of original historical research in the american field. in 1849, he succeeded edward everett as president of harvard and moved into a home on campus now called treadwell-sparks house. he retired in 1853 on account of failing health, and devoted the rest of his life to his private studies. for several years he was a member of the massachusetts board of education.