INTRODUCTION. 7 



board of regents, may be named George Clinton, John Jay, Morgan Lewis, Daniel 

 D. Tompkins, De Witt Clinton, Joseph C. Yates, Martin Van Buren, Enos T. 

 Throop and William L. Marcy, former governors of the state ; Pierre Van Cort- 

 landt, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, John Broome, John 

 Tayler, Erastus Root, James Tallmadge, Nathaniel Pitcher, Edward P. Livingston 

 and John Tracy, former lieutenant-governors ; Egbert Benson, Philip Schuyler, 

 Ezra L'Hommedieu, Lewis Morris, Matthew Clarkson, Benjamin Moore, Eilar- 

 dus Westerlo, Baron de Steuben, Gulian Verplanck, Zephaniah Piatt, James 

 Watson, Abraham Van Vechten, Simeon De Witt, James Kent, Henry Rutgers, 

 Ambrose Spencer, Peter Gansevoort, Solomon Southwick, Smith Thompson, 

 John Woodworth, John Lansing junior, Samuel Young, Nathan Williams, William 

 A. Duer, Harmanus Bleecker, Samuel A. Talcott, Peter B. Porter, Robert Troup, 

 Jesse Buel, Benjamin F. Butler, John Sudam, John P. Cushman and Washington 

 Irving. The present regents are the governor; Luther Bradish, lieutenant- 

 governor ; Samuel Young, the secretary of state ; Elisha Jenkins, James Thomp- 

 son, Peter Wendell, John Greig, Gulian C. Verplanck, Gerrit Y. Lansing, John 

 K. Paige, John A.'Dix, William Campbell, Erastus Corning, Prosper M. Wetmore, 

 James McKown, John L. Graham, Amasa J. Parker, John McLean, Joseph Rus- 

 sell, John C. Spencer, Gideon Hawley and David Buel. 



Union College at Schenectady was established by the regents in 1795, after 

 striking out a provision in the plan submitted, which declared that a majority of 

 the trustees of the college should not, at any time, be composed of persons of the 

 same religious sect or denomination.* The charter contained the singular pro- 

 vision that the clear annual value of the real property of the institution should not 

 exceed thirteen thousand three hundred and thirty-three dollars ; and declared that 

 the trustees should not exclude any person on account of his particular tenets or 

 religion, from admission into the college. In 1797, the trustees of the college, as 

 appears from the report of the condition of the institution, gave instruction con- 



* Proceedings of the Regents of the University. 



