Laurenus Clark Seelye

Who was Laurenus Clark Seelye?

Laurenus Clark Seelye, known as L. Clark Seelye, was the first president of Smith College, serving from 1873-1910. He graduated from Union College in 1857 with Phi Beta Kappa honors and membership in The Kappa Alpha Society. Seelye later studied at Andover Theological Seminary and the Universities of Berlin and Heidelberg. After serving as a Congregational Minister in Springfield, Massachusetts, he became Professor of Rhetoric at Amherst College from 1867 until his election as President of Smith in 1873. He was also the brother of Julius Hawley Seelye.