Maybe you’re like me, walking in and out of Stetson Hall hundreds of times without ever noticing for whom the building was named. But with my newfound interest in Williams history, I was amused and intrigued to discover that Francis Lynde Stetson, Class of 1867, was J.P. Morgan’s lawyer, among many other attributes of success, and became a principle benefactor of William College in the early 20th century. Alfred Clark Chapin, Class of 1869, also made a name for himself in law, business, politics, and benefactions to his alma mater. These gentlemen would come together and create a library fit for the “gentleman’s college” Williams had become, to appropriate the terminology of Prof. Frederick Rudolph’s bicentennial essay, “Williams College 1793-1993: Three Eras, Three Cultures.” The Stetson and Chapin libraries shared a building and defined an era, whose story is recounted in the “History 02” page now posted to this site.
