William Duer
William Alexander Duer was a lawyer and President of Columbia College. Prior to this, he had served in the New York State legislature and as a state circuit court judge.
He came from a distinguished pedigree: his father had been a member of the Continental Congress and was the first Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, under Alexander Hamilton (though he later went broke in the Panic of 1792 and landed in debtors' prison for the rest of his life). His grandfather was a major-general during the Revolutionary War (despite which he claimed a Scottish earldom and styled himself "Lord Stirling") - but, more importantly, was a founder and governor of King's College.
| Preceded by William Harris |
President of Columbia College 1829-1842 |
Succeeded by Nathaniel Fish Moore |
