In Webster's Own Hand

In 1829 Daniel Webster's brother died. Shortly there-after the College's most distinguished alum, class of 1801, picked up a pen and started an autobiography that revealed the personal side of his very public life. This winter the original manuscript was purchased by the Rauner Special Collections Library from a private source for an undisclosed sum with the help of a donation from John H. Freund '54.

In the manuscript, Webster writes about the importance of his family and his passion for the arts, but he doesn't get too personal. "In no case does Webster pour out his heart," says Special Collections librarian Phil Cronenwett.

While the manuscript may add little to what we know about Webster's life, it does provide insight into Webster the person, notes the librarian. For example, the statesman wrote on several different kinds of paper, suggesting that Webster originally didn't intend to write a long piece. However, thoughts of his own mortality, perhaps brought on by his brother's death, might have spurred Webster to write a more extensive work, Cronenwett speculates.

Bragging Rites Dartmouth, the last Ivy League college to turn coed, today has more female faculty members than any school among the Ancient Eight. Women account for35 percent of our 344 tenured and tenure-track arts and sciences faculty. Of the 254 professors with tenure, a third are women. Comparable figures at other Ivies: 22 percent and 17 percent, respectively.