Harvard University

Harvard University, oldest university in the United States, founded by the General Court of Massachusetts in 1636. Originally an educational institution for Puritan ministers, it evolved into a general university. Under the presidency of C.W. Eliot (1869–1910) Harvard developed into one of the world's great universities, with many graduate schools affiliated to it. It now has nearly 200 allied institutions, including libraries, laboratories, museums, and observatories. Harvard University derives its name from John Harvard, the first benefactor of the institution.