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Tufts College Divinity School

 Organization

Biography

Abstract:

The Tufts College Divinity School was established in 1869, and in 1906 changed its name to the Crane Theological School.

The Divinity School opened in 1869 with four students and two teachers. While the founders of Tufts College were thoroughly grounded in the Universalist faith, they had, in the interests of avoiding sectarianism in the college, resisted establishing a divinity school. The death of Sylvanus Packard, a trustee of the college, indirectly brought about the founding of the school. In his will Packard left approximately $300,000 to Tufts, of which a portion was to be used to establish a professorship of Christian theology. The trustees decided, in order to keep religious sectarianism out of the college, to establish a quasi-independent school of divinity associated with the college.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Crane Theological School Records

 Collection
Call Number: UA008
Scope and Contents This collection contains correspondence, newsletters, announcements, bulletins, lectures, exams, curriculum, programs, minutes, photographs, theses, and conference material. Subjects covered include alumni, faculty, mergers, honorary degree recipients, the library, executive committee, and associations including the Meadville Theological School, the American Unitarian Association, the American Association of Theological Schools, the Massachusetts Universalist Convention, the...
Dates: 1855 -- 1987
Found in: Tufts Archival Research Center