Cyrus Peirce was born in Waltham, Massachusetts back in 1790 to Isaac and Hannah. He went to Framingham Academy and then at Harvard. While in his sophomore year he began teaching in nearby West Newton.
He graduated from Harvard in 1810. Moving to Nantucket Island taking charge of a private school for two years before returning to Harvard. He completed divinity school in 1815, returning to Nantucket to resume his teaching career.
He left Nantucket in 1818 to begin preaching in North Reading, remaining until 1827. He started a school in Lexington with just three students, by 1842 the number had grown to 42 however, ill health force him to resign. He was a delegate to the third International Peace Congress touring England before returning to West Newton. He died in 1860, buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery.
Now the school he started is known as Framingham State University. At the end of each class he called for the students to “Live to the Truth”, which is the motto of today’s Framingham State College which acknowledged him as it first president.
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