Happy Birthday, Henry Rutgers!
Universitywide
Oil painting of Henry Rutgers by Henry Inman (1801–1846)
Today we celebrate the birth of our university’s namesake, Colonel Henry Rutgers.
Henry Rutgers was born on October 7, 1745, in New York City. He was a Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist. Rutgers served as a Queen’s College trustee, and his critical endowment provided much-needed financial stability for the school during a period of great uncertainty. In 1825, Queen’s College was renamed Rutgers College in honor of its benefactor. Rutgers passed away on February 17, 1830, at the age of 84.
Thanks to Henry Rutgers’ enduring educational legacy, we are now known as Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
To learn more about Henry Rutgers, read "Benevolent Patriot: Henry Rutgers, 1745–1830" by David J. Fowler, former project historian with Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University Libraries.
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