First President of Ripon College, 1863-1876

On April 23, 1863, the Reverend Dr. William E. Merriman, a graduate of Williams College and Union Theological Seminary, was elected the first president of Brockway College, at a salary of $1,000 a year. He immediately proved his dedication to the task of building the fledgling institution by relinquishing his salary (except for living expenses) in order to bring the College out of debt. When he assumed office, Merriman was greeted by two unfinished buildings and a debt of $20,000. The faculty was only one professor besides himself, and college courses were offered for the first time that year to a mere half-dozen students. Within a year Merriman had brought East and Middle Colleges to completion, liquidated the debt, and obtained a new charter which named the institution Ripon College.