This Week in Princeton History for March 20-26

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, seniors make a fashion statement, a new discovery is poised to revolutionize medicine, and more.

March 23, 1893—The Class of 1893, like the Class of 1892 before them, has chosen to wear caps and gowns throughout their final spring semester. The Princetonian praises this development:

There is no more pleasing distinction nor one that is more in keeping with the dignity of the class that has reached the highest position of college authority and is about to sever forever its connection with undergraduate life…

Group portrait of Princeton Class of 1893

Princeton’s Class of 1893 may have agreed to wear caps and gowns generally until the end of the semester, but in this senior portrait taken in 1893, only one member of the class (see back row) appears to have remained committed to the plan. Historical Photograph Collection, Class Photographs Series (AC181), Box 13.

March 24, 1932—To facilitate spring travel for Princeton students, Ludington Airlines offers two flights out of Princeton Airport today. Students can take the shuttles to Baltimore, Washington, and Norfolk from Princeton.

March 25, 1896—W. F. Magie (Class of 1879) lectures on campus about the recent discovery by German physics professor Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and the possible clinical applications of his “Roentgen Rays,” which in future generations will become commonly known as X-rays.

March 26, 1845—Famed temperance orator John Bartholomew Gough is in town, offering dramatic lectures peppered with humor about the dangers of drunkenness.

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This Week in Princeton History for March 13-19

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, juniors make plans, an activist housewife is on campus, and more.

March 15, 1869—Samuel Rene Gummere (Class of 1870) writes to classmate Adrian Hoffman Joline to invite him to a game of Whist in Gummere’s dorm room tomorrow night.

Letter (see caption for transcript)

Gummere’s invitation to Joline, which reads as follows: “Princeton, Mar. 15, 1869. Dear Addie, Will you come over to my rooms tomorrow evening at half past eight, for a little game of Whist? Yours, Sam Gummere. 28 East College. R.S.V.P.” Scrapbook Collection (AC026), Box 21.

March 16, 1971—Halfway through her 450-mile walk from Boston to Washington to protest the Vietnam War, housewife Louise Bruyn speaks at Murray-Dodge. Bruyn says she is

trying to reach those who have become anaesthetized and feel there is nothing one person can do. I am asking them to look for alternatives, to actively say “no” to the death machine which is war, in their own way.

March 18, 1880—Locals take in the “Chalk Talk” arranged by the Student Lecture Association. Frank Beard’s comedic lecture illustrated with chalk drawings (the genre he pioneered) pleases the audience.

March 19, 1798—Princeton president Samuel Stanhope Smith writes to Benjamin Rush regarding his belief in the benefits of bloodletting to cure disease, on the basis of his own experience of frequent use of a lance to bleed himself over the years.

I have, perhaps, carried my bleedings somewhat farther than was absolutely necessary; but, in such cases, it is difficult to fix the point of strict necessity, and success has justified my rashness.

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This Week in Princeton History for March 6-12

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a senior reflects on the appearances of New Left activists, two students are lauded for solving a jewel robbery case, and more.

March 7, 1967—Robert Griss ’67 theorizes that growing a beard and long hair predisposes students to join the Students for a Democratic Society. “By adopting its regalia, the follower of the New Left subjects himself to social ostracism that reinforces his notion that the system is oppressive, which stimulates his appreciation of the urgency for radical social change. It is therefore not coincidental that so many social reformers exhibit the regalia of social deviants.”

A group of protesters holding a sign with a graphic giving a middle finger to ROTC with a dollar sign next to it

Students for a Democratic Society protesting the presence of the ROTC on the campus of Princeton University, 1969. Princeton Alumni Weekly Photograph Collection (AC126), Box 38.

March 8, 1868—John Maclean preaches at the funeral for Anthony Simmons, who was formerly enslaved, and who more recently has been a prosperous local entrepreneur. Simmons owned and operated an eatery popular among students, many of whom attend the funeral.

March 10, 1940—Dean of the Faculty Robert K. Root issues a statement on the health of the University’s president, Harold Willis Dodds. Following a bout with influenza in January, Dodds has not yet recovered. Doctors have ordered “entire relaxation from his usual activities” until further notice. In the meantime, deans and administrative offices will assume extra duties.

March 11, 1892—Two Princeton students are credited for bringing about the arrest of a Yale graduate, Webster C. Hill, for stealing $150 worth of jewelry (about $5,000 in 2023 dollars) from Alice McElvaine in Princeton, New Jersey. As newspapers nationwide will report, the students, among many other of their peers, attended a party at McElvaine’s home, after which she discovered her belongings missing. The Princetonians became suspicious of Hill when they learned he registered at a local hotel using a different name and extracted a confession from him. At the time of his arrest, Hill had several of McElvaine’s stolen jewelry pieces on his person.

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This Week in Princeton History for February 27-March 5

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Ted Cruz ’92 weighs in on campus safety, local women find the campus a good place for fundraising, and more.

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz ’92, 1992.  Office of Communications (AC168), Box 177.

February 28, 1990—In response to the University’s announcement that locks will be installed on dormitory entry doors, Ted Cruz ’92 is quoted in the Daily Princetonian opposing the change. “I think the effect (locked entryways will have) in keeping people out of dorms is negligible. I do think it serves to be an inconvenience of being restrictive.” Cruz suggests, “perhaps the money could be better spent elsewhere.”

March 1, 1873—A self-identified “Northern Student” writes to the Princeton Press to argue that Princeton should make Southern students comfortable and allow former Confederate Secretary of War John C. Breckinridge to speak at Commencement.

“Slavery, that bane of human progress, was long since abolished. The gap which separated the North from the South is almost closed. The wound which threatened the life of the nation is almost healed. The scenes of Bull Run and Antietam are almost forgotten. The cold iceberg of oppression has been melted away in the warm Gulf Stream of a Nation’s love. The world moves on forgetful of the past. Peace and prosperity meet us on every side. Then let it be the desire of every student—aye, of every citizen of this land, that this prosperity should continue on, and that the North and South may continue to stand, as they stand to-day, upon the firm basis of universal liberty and equality.”

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This Week in Princeton History for February 20-26

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a new student publication appears, Japanese students are remembered, and more.

February 20, 1840—The first issue of a new student magazine, The Gem from Nassau’s Casket, appears. Though it will be short-lived, its successor publication, the Nassau Literary Magazine, will achieve a longstanding place on campus.

A Gem from Nassau's Casket

A Gem from Nassau’s Casket, February 20, 1840. Princeton University Publications Collection (AC364), Box 8.

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This Week in Princeton History for February 13-19

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, a professor attempts to calm local protests, students are arrested after defacing buildings in Trenton and Lawrenceville, and more.

February 13, 1911—Louis Meyer, a Presbyterian who was raised Jewish, lectures to a large group of Princetonians in McCosh Hall’s East Room, which seats 600. As one of the progenitors of the American Hebrew-Christian movement, which will later become better known as Messianic Judaism, Meyer’s work focuses on converting other Jews to Christianity.

February 17, 1967—Princeton’s Students for a Democratic Society host the first regional Radical Education Project conference, where they unveil their “Port Authority Statement.” It encourages white collar workers to become revolutionaries who reject American imperialism and embrace Marxism.

February 18, 1935—Acting in a capacity as emergency arbitrator, Princeton University professor Charles Erdman, Jr. informs 200 unemployed protesters at the local Social Service Bureau that there is inadequate funding to meet their demands. Erdman says that there has been no discrimination from the Bureau, but Black residents argue otherwise.

February 19, 1902—Twelve students are arrested in Trenton for malicious mischief after painting “‘05” on the battle monument, twenty houses on Princeton Avenue, and several farms in Lawrenceville. The incident will make headlines nationwide. Urging upperclassmen to rein in the lower classes, the Princeton Alumni Weekly will observe with frustration,

the freshmen went about their work of painting this part of the state with more thoroughness than ever before, and were so self-sacrificing for the cause that some of them might have frozen to death if they had not taken refuge in a farm-house, whence they were conveyed to Princeton, with feet wrapped in grain bags, by a rescuing party in a sleigh.

A man holding a paintbrush and paint can standing in front of a wall with "1905" painted on it

This illustration in the Class of 1905’s Nassau Herald looks back on their 1902 arrests.

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This Week in Princeton History for February 6-12

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students request that their grades not be shared publicly, a writer cites a Princeton president to bolster an argument against dancing, and more.

February 6, 1879—Students ask that the College cease the custom of printing their grades for public review, on the basis that it is embarrassing to some after a New York newspaper reprinted them.

February 7, 1901—Two Princeton students are arrested at the stage door of the Herald Square theater in New York for “mashing” (i.e., making unwelcome advances toward or harassing) the chorus girls, according to a report in the Albany Times-Union.

February 9, 1819—A letter to the editor of Utica, New York’s Patriot cites former Princeton president Samuel Davies to bolster its anti-dancing argument: “Dr. Davies, one of the venerable and learned presidents of Princeton College, speaking on this subject, while he does not rank this amusement among the most heinous offences, says in substance, that he should have very little hope of seeing religion flourish in a church composed of dancing, frolicking Christians.”

Though the Patriot writer may have appealed to a Princetonian’s ideas to argue against dancing, there was plenty of dancing and frolicking going on in town in the early 19th century, especially at the annual ball celebrating Princeton’s Commencement. Commencement Ball invitation, 1824. Princeton University Commencement Records (AC115), Box 1.

February 12, 1927—A Daily Princetonian editorial ends up in a Philosophy 201 exam, in which students are asked to evaluate the veracity of the claim, “True education may be measured by a man’s capacity to enjoy life.”

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This Week in Princeton History for January 30-February 5

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students send egg rolls to a celebrity, an agricultural program is proposed, and more.

January 30, 1898—Princeton president Francis Patton urges students to join the Temperance Movement and accept college rules against drinking, even if their own consciences would permit them to drink.

I should be exceedingly sorry if the professional career of any one of you were blighted by habits contracted here. I should be sorry to see you start in the great race of life under the handicap of ill repute.

February 3, 1983—In honor of the first anniversary of The Late Show with David Letterman, the student staff of Princeton’s Tiger sends him 100 egg rolls.

Yes, David, here they are! 100 egg rolls to hail your landmark anniversary--100 because this is our centennial year; egg rolls because of our fond memories of the unforgettable human state vs. Szechuan U. delivery race and to express our sincere hope that you, Paul, the band, and the whole crew will just keep rolling along. With clapping paws and a great roar, HAPPY FIRST! From the Princeton Tiger Magazine.

Letter from Princeton Tiger staff to David Letterman, February 3, 1983. Princeton University Publications Collection (AC364), Box 9.

February 4, 1920—This week, Princetonians will consume 10 barrels of white flour, more than 6,000  pounds of meat, 42 barrels of potatoes, 4,500 quarts of milk, and 2,600 shredded wheat biscuits at a cost of $900 per day (approximately $13,500 in 2023 currency) in University dining halls.

February 5, 1864—A letter to the editor of the Princeton Standard argues in favor of Princeton establishing a program for the study of agriculture, noting its ideal location among extensive farmland.

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This Week in Princeton History for January 23-29

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, Princeton seeks to build housing for married students, locals consider the merits of slavery in the South, and more.

January 23, 1946—Princeton University requests an amendment to local zoning regulations in order to build a “garden-type housing project” to accommodate 150 to 170 families. The proposed housing will be primarily for returning married students who served in World War II.

The housing project would later be known as Butler Apartments, shown here in October 1947. Historical Photograph Collection, Campus Life Series (AC112), Box MP166, Image No. 4088.

January 26, 1837—Students rush to join other local citizens at about 2:00AM to put out a fire at Stryker & Conover’s tailor shop.

January 27, 1860—A letter from Robert Field Stockton appears in the Princeton Press explaining why he refuses to attend Union meetings. After outlining his rationale for why northern states must support slavery in the southern states, he urges residents to unite with the South if there is a national division.

In this defensive attitude of the South I for one will stand by them as a friend, to the last gasp of my existence, and if a dissolution of the Union is inevitable, then I would have the lines of separation drawn along the Hudson and the Lakes, rather than the Potomac and the Ohio. I have no doubt that in such an event the Northwestern states would unite with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the South. I will stand by them, because they are right…

January 29, 1987—A New York federal appeals court blocks the publication of a biography of J. D. Salinger on the grounds of unfair use of unpublished letters which the author accessed in Firestone Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections Reading Room. Though “A Writing Life” will remain unpublished, future readers will still be able to access it at Princeton.

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This Week in Princeton History for January 16-22

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In this week’s installment of our recurring series, students have a reputation for misbehavior, people claiming to be Nigerian royalty seek pen pals, and more.

January 17, 1882—The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports, “The Princeton students seem to have recommenced the disgraceful rowdyism which brought the college into such disrepute some time since,” saying that just before their holiday vacation students had engaged in various acts of vandalism and greased the railroad tracks, but authorities have failed to discipline students appropriately. “In fact, discipline has become of the basest character, and it is asserted that in the case of influential students there is absolutely none enforced.”

This newspaper clipping shows common hazing tactics at Princeton ca. 1885. Historical Subject Files (AC109), Box 379, Folder 11.

January 19, 1982—Thomas H. Kean ’57 takes the oath of office and becomes New Jersey’s 48th governor. Kean, the first Republican governor since 1970, secured victory by a margin smaller than 2,000 votes.

January 20, 1752—In a letter to Benjamin Franklin, Governor Jonathan Belcher says that the president of the College of New Jersey (then in Newark), Aaron Burr, recently helped him attempt to treat a medical condition with electric shock using the College electrical apparatus. Unfortunately, the treatment has been unsuccessful so far.

January 22, 1949—A group of people claiming to be Nigerian royalty write to the editor of the Daily Princetonian seeking pen pals.

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Fact check: We always strive for accuracy, but if you believe you see an error, please contact us.