Origins & Early Life

Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust (born September 18, 1947) is an American historian and author who served as the 28th president of Harvard University from 2007 to 2018. She was Harvard's first female president, its first president since 1672 without a Harvard undergraduate or graduate degree, and the first to have been raised in the South. Faust was also the founding dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She was repeatedly named one of the world's 100 most powerful women by Forbes, reaching as high as 33rd in 2014.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Drew Gilpin was born in New York City and raised in Clarke County, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. She is the daughter of Catharine Ginna (née Mellick) and McGhee Tyson Gilpin. Her father was a Princeton graduate and bred thoroughbred horses, among other business ventures. Her paternal grandfather, Kenneth Newcomer Gilpin, was a businessman who served in the Virginia House of Delegates (representing Clarke and adjacent Warren Counties) and was an aviator in both World War I and World War II. Her paternal great-grandfather, General Lawrence Tyson, was a U.S.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

senator from Tennessee during the 1920s. Faust also has New England ancestry...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Al Capone — Contemporary (Died in 1947) (1947): Notorious American gangster and businessman during the Prohibition era.
• Alan Guth — Contemporary (Born in 1947) (1947): Pioneering cosmologist known for developing the theory of cosmic inflation.
• Alan Sugar — Contemporary (Born in 1947) (1947): Pioneering British entrepreneur, founder of Amstrad, and TV personality.
• Adrien-Marie Legendre — Shared historical date (09-18 · Born) (1752): Pioneering French mathematician known for Legendre polynomials and least squares method.
• Aleksandr Vasilevsky — Shared historical date (09-18 · Born) (1895): A pivotal Soviet general who commanded forces during WWII and served as Minister of Defense.
• Albert Brooks — Historical peer (Born in 1947) (1947): Versatile American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter.
• Aleister Crowley — Historical peer (Died in 1947) (1947): Founder of Thelema, a major occultist, poet, and ceremonial magician.
• Al Oerter — Historical peer (Died in 2007) (2007): Four-time Olympic champion in the discus throw, pioneering athletic consistency.
• Albert Ellis — Historical peer (Died in 2007) (2007): Pioneering figure in psychotherapy, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Aretha Franklin — Historical peer (Died in 2018) (2018): The "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin defined American music with unparalleled vocal power.
• 1947 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1947
• September 18 (09-18) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on September 18