Charles William Eliot (1834-1926), American educator and chemist. Eliot is best known for transforming Harvard University from a provincial college into a top research university. Eliot himself graduated from Harvard in 1853 and later became an assistant professor chemistry and mathematics at the university. In 1857, he took a trip to Europe and studied the European educational system. After he returned form this trip, Harvard University appointed him as President in October 1869 to implement educational reform. Eliot was president of Harvard from 1869-1909, making him the longest serving president of the university. Painted by artist Annie Ware Sabine Siebert (1864-1947) in 1923.