“By His Own Exertions”

The 1872-73 Cornell University Register states:

The Cornell University Register, 1872-73

Mrs. Warner wrote to Ezra Cornell to express her concerns about her son’s ability to balance work and study. Although her son John DeWitt Warner was an able scholar—he had received the Yates County (New York) scholarship to attend Cornell—she worried that his time spent earning living wages detracted from his studies: “He has always found it an easy matter to keep up with his classes, but with the hours for labor deducted, I think he is attempting as many studies as he could do, without allowing for labor. What I fear is that by his attempting to do too much, he will over-reach, & thus lose the profit he might otherwise obtain.”

Cornell University 2006-2007 Course Schedule

Alva Morse Baldwin of Groton, N.Y., came to Cornell in 1869 as a transfer student from Hamilton College. A cousin of Samuel F. B. Morse, he graduated in 1872 (despite his photo saying '71), with a Ph. B. (Bachelor of Philosophy) degree in philosophy. He studied in Leipzig, Germany for a year and then taught in various high schools. In 1880 he received an M.D. degree from Hahnemann Medical College and practiced medicine in Groton until his death in 1914.

John Frankenheimer of New York City, the son of immigrants from Bavaria, came to Cornell in 1870 and graduated in 1873, with a Ph.B in philosophy. A distinguished scholar and one of the earliest Jewish students at Cornell, he won the English Literature Prize, the Latin Prize, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and was named the Woodford Orator and the Class Essayist. He was also a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He later graduated from Columbia Law School and practiced law in New York City until his death in 1917.

Webb Cook Hayes, the son of President Rutherford B. Hayes, attended Cornell from 1872 until 1875 when his father was elected Governor of Ohio. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. He had a distinguished military career during the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and finally, at the age of 61, as a department commander on the Italian front and then as a regional commander of the American Expeditionary Force in southern France and North Africa. For his exploits in the Philippines, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He died in Ohio in 1934.

Photograph courtesy of Erwin Chan Class of 2000.

Royal Taft of Hawley, Pennsylvania, came to Cornell in 1868 and graduated in 1871, with a B.S. degree in agriculture. A member of Phi Kappa Psi, he was one of the Commencement speakers and received Honorable Mention in English History under Professor Goldwin Smith. After graduation, he helped run the family’s general store before teaching for several years. He then took the Civil Service examination for the Scranton Post Office, where he worked until his retirement. At his death in 1941 at the age of 94, he was Cornell’s oldest alumnus.

Royal Taft kept diaries during his student years, which were the first three years of Cornell University’s existence. He also collected pictures of his classmates and professors, and miscellanea pertaining to student life. These papers are held in the University Archives, Collection 37-5-61.

Charles Edward Van Cleef of Seneca Falls, N.Y. came to Cornell in 1868 and graduated in 1871, with a B.S. degree. A member of Kappa Alpha, he later received an M.D. degree from the Homeopathic Medical College, where he served as resident surgeon and a member of the Brooklyn Board of Health. He then returned to Ithaca where he practiced medicine until his death in 1896.

John DeWitt Warner, of Schuyler County, N.Y. came to Cornell in 1868 and graduated in 1872 with a Ph.B. degree in philosophy. At Cornell he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, president of the Athletic Association, editor of the Cornell Era, and class prophet. He graduated from the Albany Law School and went into law practice in New York City. He served in the U.S. Congress from 1871 to 1895, advocating free trade principles. He also served as a Cornell Trustee for fifteen years. The author of many articles on a variety of topics in law and the arts, he died in 1925.