Alfred Whitney Griswold

Alfred Whitney Griswold (27 October 1906 - 19 April 1963) was an American historian and educator, and President of Yale University.

Born in Morristown, New Jersey, he attended The Hotchkiss School before obtaining his B.A. from Yale University in 1929, where he was a member of Wolf's Head Society as well as the Pundits. Griswold created the Yale Political Union soon after he was awarded his doctorate in English in 1933. ["TWO YALE GROUPS TURN TO POLITICS; New Union's Plan to Train an Intelligent Minority for Leadership Is Approved.", "The New York Times", December 9, 1934.] He taught English for a year, then changed to history, which he taught at Yale from 1933, becoming an assistant professor in 1938, an associate professor in 1942, and a full professor in 1947. He was President of Yale University from 1951 to 1963. [ The New Enclyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 12, Micropaedia 15th edition, Enclopedia Britannica, Inc, Vol. 12]

Griswold is credited with tripling the university endowment to $375 million, building 26 new buildings and establishing research fellowships for young scholars, partiularly in the sciences. [Time magazine, "New Haven, Safe Haven", Apr. 17, 1964] He was arguably Yale's first modern president, and embodied a charismatic authority. Griswold, in addition to being widely quoted in the national media for his views on foreign affairs, championed amateur athletics, academic freedom, and the liberal arts against government intrusion. He was "a master of the English language," according to long-time Yale professor Gaddis Smith.

Griswold authored "The Far Eastern Policy of the United States" (1938), "Farming and Democracy" (1948), "Essays on Education" (1954), "In the University Tradition" (1957), and "Liberal Education and the Democratic Ideal" (1959). [ see 2]

The decision to create the 11th and 12th residential colleges at Yale, known as Morse and Ezra Stiles, was made by Griswold. In 1952, he established masters of arts programs in teaching, affiliated with the traditional liberal arts departments. During World War II he headed special U.S. Army training programs in languages and civil affairs. [ see 2]

Griswold died of colon cancer in New Haven, Connecticut, and is buried in Grove Street Cemetery.

Ben Kiernan is now the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History at Yale University.

“Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history the censor and the inquisitor have always lost.”