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A $5000 donation in the 1820s would be about $125,000 today if I used the inflation adjuster correctly. Imagine getting a University named after you for $125k today? And a bell of course.
To add to the above, Henry Rutgers gift was primarily used to purchase the land and fund the building of the college (Old Queens). Do you think a prominent building such as that could be built for $100K today?
A comparable building by today's standards would surely cost many millions to build today.
Fair enough.The cornerstone for Old Queens building was laid in 1809, and classes started in the building in 1811. Henry Rutgers didn't give his donation until 1825.
Henry Rutgers $$$ helped reactivate a school that had closed its doors in 1816 for lack of funding. Without his generosity, who knows if the school ever comes back into existence. Is that a good enough reason for ya?
Upstream, you might have heard correctly about funding to re-open and Rutgers part in it. Unfortunately, the whole story about Henry Rutgers "stiffing" the school upon his death in 1830 doesn't explain the whole story.
Rutgers was a benefactor to many charities. A family treatise about the family kept at Special Collections at the Rutgers Library said he gave one third of his yearly earnings to charity including a defunct college along the Raritan one year. On New Year's Day in NYC, he would give out books to children who knocked on his front door to bring greetings. He helped organize the protection of New York City during the War of 1812 (that's when he obtained the title Colonel. He was a captain in the Revolutionary War). He wasn't cheap and didn't lead on anybody. He was a very generous man who spread his wealth out far and wide.
By the way, brainyquote.com has an quote entry left behind by Henry Rutgers himself.... "Don’t let your studies interfere with your education.”
No, it doesn't, and to be clear, "stiffing" is my word choice, but this is from the Rutgers 250 timeline:Unfortunately, the whole story about Henry Rutgers "stiffing" the school upon his death in 1830 doesn't explain the whole story.
LOL. Yyes - the name New Jersey is so well respected. Rutgers can at least be rehabilitated. New Jersey will always be a national punchline. Even the people who live there dont like living there.Ahh, my favorite subject. The fact that what had become the largest state research university of New Jersey sold its name into perpetuity for a bag of magic beans. Raise your hand if you've donated more to this school than "Colonel" Rutgers. Raise your hand if you haven't, but have ever set foot on the land that Rutgers sits on. You've done more for this school than Henry Rutgers ever had.
And I like how people justify naming the school after him because he is a "war hero". His entire war effort consisted of allowing American troops to use his mansion as a barracks. Noble, yes, but hardly something that merits the label "hero".
The Rutgers name is worthless nationwide. Beyond worthless, it's a nationally recognized punchline and a metaphor for failure and incompetence. It's time for the University of New Jersey to take back its name.
I think got is a little of an underplay - the British had taken over New Amsterdam and the Dutch had taken Suriname - so they decided to call ti a day rather than continue fighting.It was a good deal but not the best by a long shot, IMHO. That honor would go to the British in 1664 when they got the Dutch to exchange their New Netherlands colony (a.k.a., New York and New Jersey) for what today is Suriname, the former Dutch Guiana on the north coast of South America. That worked out well for them and for those new folks called "Americans" afterward. Though part of me thinks it might be nice to have the Dutch back if we have to start building dikes to keep the sea out. They're quite good at that.
The fact is that by the time RU was even getting going, the Dutch church in AMerica was dying and it was divided between NJ and the Hudson Valley. Alot of Dutch familes had already or would become Anglicans or Prebyterians.What also goes unheralded is a $2,000 donation for the cupola that Henry Rutgers bell sits in. It was donated by General Stephen Van Rensselaer, III. Van Rensselaer cast the Congressional vote that gave the 1824 tie for the Presidency to John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson. He also started Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute the same year.
Bobby Bonilla.GS got the best deal of all from Tampa Bay - work 2 years and get paid $$$$$millions for 5 years. If he chooses, he will never have to work another day in his entire life. I am happy for him as he did do a great deal for RU football.
That name SUCKS. Kind of like The College of New Jersey. It sucks too. For people who don't know what Rutgers is, they really need to start reading some books. Because yes, your f*cking stupid and should have been thrown off a cliff at birth. This should have been the answer to the state of Tennessee when this question was posed.It's time for the University of New Jersey to take back its name.
Just for kicks:
- railroad barron Cornelius Vanderbilt donated $1 million in the 1870s to endow Central Univ which became Vandy
- tobacco Duke family donated over $40 million between 1892 and 1924 to endow Trinity College
- Standard Oil magnate, JD Rockefeller founded the University of Chicago in 1890 with an $80 million gift; he also founded what became Rockefeller University in 1901 with gifts totaling over $500 million
- industrialist Leland Stanford donated $40 million in 1891 to found a university in his son's name
These gifts all came several lifetimes after the gift the colonel gave to Queen's College, but it's no wonder the University that bears his name remains destitute in 2015.
My father always said that the Duke family offered to make a substantial contribution to the school if they agreed to change their name... I guess the Rutgers board of trustees said no so they ended up in North Carolina…
I have always found it interesting that, while Rutgers (Queens College) was closed, Cornelius Vanderbilt began building his fortune here in New Brunswick with a hotel and a steamship line. And he left before the college reopened. Assuming Vanderbilt as a Dutch name, I cannot help but think we missed out on having quite a wealthy benefactor. I wonder if someone somewhere screwed the pooch with the Vanderbilt.Henry Rutgers $$$ helped reactivate a school that had closed its doors in 1816 for lack of funding. Without his generosity, who knows if the school ever comes back into existence. Is that a good enough reason for ya?
Besides, if you're looking for a guy who got the biggest bang for his buck, you can't go wrong complaining about Amerigo Vespucci. He got two continents, the world's leading country , half a pro football conference and a beauty pageant all named after him. Why? Well...... when it comes to this part of the globe.... he made the map.
It happens. Someone, somewhere probably knows. I wonder if it's been recorded anywhere? Maybe old presidents' correspondence from the era?I have always found it interesting that, while Rutgers (Queens College) was closed, Cornelius Vanderbilt began building his fortune here in New Brunswick with a hotel and a steamship line. And he left before the college reopened. Assuming Vanderbilt as a Dutch name, I cannot help but think we missed out on having quite a wealthy benefactor. I wonder if someone somewhere screwed the pooch with the Vanderbilt.
Umm... No.Ahh, my favorite subject. The fact that what had become the largest state research university of New Jersey sold its name into perpetuity for a bag of magic beans. Raise your hand if you've donated more to this school than "Colonel" Rutgers. Raise your hand if you haven't, but have ever set foot on the land that Rutgers sits on. You've done more for this school than Henry Rutgers ever had.
And I like how people justify naming the school after him because he is a "war hero". His entire war effort consisted of allowing American troops to use his mansion as a barracks. Noble, yes, but hardly something that merits the label "hero".
The Rutgers name is worthless nationwide. Beyond worthless, it's a nationally recognized punchline and a metaphor for failure and incompetence. It's time for the University of New Jersey to take back its name.
LOL. Yyes - the name New Jersey is so well respected. Rutgers can at least be rehabilitated. New Jersey will always be a national punchline. Even the people who live there dont like living there.