Act of 1821. — On April 30, 1821, it was enacted by the governor and the judges of the Territory of Michigan that the University should be under the management, direction, and government of twenty-one trustees, one of whom, the governor of the Territory, should be a trustee of the University ex officio. It was also enacted that these trustees should continue in office during the pleasure of the legislature, and that all vacancies should be filled by the legislature. On March 1, 1831, it was enacted by the legislative council of the Territory that all vacancies should be filled by nomination from the governor, by and with the advice of this territorial council. The appointed and ex officio trustees under this act, and the officers of the board, were as follows:
The Trustees of the University of Michigan, 1821-1837
Ex Officio
William Woodbridge,1821-1827
Acting Governor (several brief intervals)
Lewis Cass, Governor1822-1831
James Witherell, Acting Governor 1830
(January – April)
John T. Mason1830-1831
(two brief intervals)
George B. Porter, Governor1831-1834
Stevens Thomson Mason
Acting Governor (several brief intervals)1831-1834
Governor ex officio1834-1835
Governor1835-1837
John S Horner1835
Acting Governor (Sept-Nov)
Appointed
John Biddle1821-1837
Nicholas Boilvin1821-1837
Daniel LeRoy1821-1837
Christian Clemens1821
William H. Puthoff1821-1834
John Anderson1821-1837
John Hunt1821-1827
Charles Larned1821-1834
Gabriel Richard1821-1832
John R. Williams1821-1837
Solomon Sibley1821-1837
John Monteith1821
Henry J. Hunt1821-1826
John L. Leib1821-1837
Peter J. Desnoyers1821-1837
Austin E. Wing1821-1837
William Woodbridge1821-1837
Benjamin Stead1821
Philip Lecuyer1821-1834
William Brown1821-1837
Abraham Edwards1822-1837
Thomas Rowland1822-1837
Jonathan Kearsley1827-1837
Noah M. Wells1827-1834
James Kingsley1827-1834
L. Humphrey1827-1834
Richard Berry1827-1834
John McDonell1835-1837
John Norvell1837
Ross T. Wilkins1837
Officers of the Board
Secretaries
Lemuel Shattuck1821
Charles C. Trowbridge1821-1835
G. Mott Williams1836-1837
Treasurers
Abraham Edwards1821
James Abbott1821-1823
De Garmo Jones1823-1837
Several men on this board had served as members of the "University of Michigania" Board of Trustees and Visitors of the Classical Academy and Primary Schools of the City of Detroit, 1817-21. These (in addition to the University faculty, Monteith and Richard) were Charles Larned, John R. Williams, Solomon Sibley, Henry J. Hunt, Peter Desnoyers, Austin E. Wing, William Woodbridge, Benjamin Stead, Philip Lecuyer, William Brown, and Abraham Edwards. Within the years 1817-21 Larned had been secretary to the Board of Trustees and Visitors of the Classical Academy and Primary Schools and Edwards, treasurer of the University. Also, James Abbott had been made treasurer, either of the University or of this board. For a brief time in 1821 Edwards continued as treasurer of the reorganized Board of Trustees of the University of Michigan, although he was not then a trustee, but after he had declined reelection to the position of treasurer he was appointed a member of the board in 1821, and James Abbott succeeded him as treasurer of the University. No secretary or treasurer between 1821 and 1837 was simultaneously a trustee. Trowbridge, however, like Edwards and Abbott, served on the University governing board at a different period. He was appointed Regent in 1839. Seven members of the 1821-37 Board of Trustees likewise became members of the Board of Regents at a later date. Among these were the first two governors of the state, who were Regents ex officio, Stevens T. Mason (1837-40) and William Woodbridge (1840-41). The others were Regents by appointment — Jonathan Kearsley, John Norvell, and Ross T. Wilkins, appointed in 1837; Lewis Cass, who had formerly been governor of the Territory of Michigan, in 1843; and Austin E. Wing in 1845.
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