John G. Kemeny

President, 1970-1981

If William Jewett Tucker can be said to have "refounded Dartmouth," then certainly it was John Kemeny who began the institution's "transformation." A Hungarian by birth, a Princetonian by education and an esteemed mathematician, his appointment was met with enthusiasm by the faculty but with skepticism by alumni, some of whom felt that he could not understand the Dartmouth experience. Yet he succeeded in realizing the ambitious goals of his presidency while teaching two courses a year, and never missing a class.

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Portrait Artist & Donor Information

Everett Raymond Kinstler, John G. Kemeny, 1977
Oil on canvas
Hood Museum of Art
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth F. Montgomery, Class of 1925
Hood Museum Object Number: P.978.194